How to Make an Academic Poster in LaTeX

Updated July 2026

To make an academic poster in LaTeX, use the tikzposter or beamerposter class. Set the paper to a large size such as A0, lay content out in columns and coloured blocks, add a title bar with authors and affiliation, and compile to one big PDF page you send to a printer. Both classes ship ready themes, so a research poster looks professional without a design tool.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Choose a poster class

    tikzposter (block-based, easy themes) or beamerposter (if you know Beamer).

  2. 2

    Set the size and orientation

    A0 portrait or landscape, with a font scale for readability at distance.

  3. 3

    Lay out columns and blocks

    Use columns and block environments for sections like Introduction, Methods, Results.

  4. 4

    Add the title bar

    Title, authors, and affiliation across the top, plus logos.

  5. 5

    Export the PDF

    Compile to a single large PDF page and send it to the printer.

Option A — tikzposter (simplest)

tikzposter is block-based and has attractive built-in themes, so it is the fastest way to a good-looking poster. Everything sits inside columns and block groups.

\documentclass[25pt, a0paper, portrait]{tikzposter}
\usetheme{Simple}
\title{My Research Poster}
\author{Jane Doe}
\institute{University of Example}
\begin{document}
\maketitle
\begin{columns}
  \column{0.5}
  \block{Introduction}{Background text ...}
  \block{Methods}{What we did ...}
  \column{0.5}
  \block{Results}{Findings ...}
  \block{Conclusion}{Takeaways ...}
\end{columns}
\end{document}

Option B — beamerposter

If you already know Beamer, beamerposter reuses Beamer themes, frames, and blocks at poster scale. Load it with a size and scale option, then build the poster inside one big frame.

\documentclass{beamer}
\usepackage[size=a0,scale=1.4]{beamerposter}
\begin{document}
\begin{frame}{}
  \begin{columns}
    \begin{column}{0.5\textwidth}
      \begin{block}{Introduction} ... \end{block}
    \end{column}
  \end{columns}
\end{frame}
\end{document}

Printing tips

Posters are printed large (A0 ≈ 84×119 cm), so keep body text at least 24–28 pt at 100% scale and use vector figures (TikZ, pgfplots, or PDF) that stay sharp. Export a single-page PDF and confirm the size matches the venue’s requirement before printing.

Iterate fast: LetX compiles the whole A0 poster in the browser so you can tweak blocks and see the layout instantly. See also TikZ diagrams and Beamer slides.

Frequently asked questions

tikzposter or beamerposter?

Use tikzposter for the quickest good-looking result with built-in themes and block layout. Use beamerposter if you already know Beamer and want to reuse its themes and structure at poster scale.

What size should an academic poster be?

A0 (about 84×119 cm) is the most common conference size. Set it in the class options (a0paper) and choose portrait or landscape to match the venue’s guidelines.

How do I keep text readable on a large poster?

Keep body text at roughly 24–28 pt at full scale, use short blocks, and prefer vector figures (TikZ, pgfplots, PDF) so nothing pixelates when printed large.

How do I add my university logo?

Insert it with \includegraphics in the title area. tikzposter and beamerposter both leave room in the title block for one or two institutional logos.

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