Images, graphs, and tables are wonderful ways to communicate information quickly and effectively to an audience. However, they must be presented and organized correctly to be useful.

All images, graphs, tables and more should be titled, labeled, and have a caption briefly describing significance.

Poster Images

The most important element of a poster image is quality. Images that are blurry, fuzzy, or pixelated are difficult to see, and are therefore ineffective at communicating clearly and quickly with an audience.

For printed materials, Dots Per Inch (DPI) is the resolution measurement that matters most. High resolution images most commonly have a higher DPI, and have files sizes of at least 1MB. If possible, use an image with 150 to 300 DPI.

How to insert an image in PowerPoint (Windows & Mac):

1. In PowerPoint, click on the Insert menu item.
2. From the dropdown menu or tab, click on Picture.
3. In the dialog box, select the desired image saved on your computer, and click on Open or Insert.
4. The image will appear on your poster slide; click and drag to position.

Images can be enlarged and shrunk in PowerPoint, but after adjusting an image always zoom in 100% to make sure the image was not distorted. To proportionally change the size of an image, use the corner anchors.

Poster Graphs and Tables

Graphs and tables are a wonderful way to visually explain material and concepts to a large audience, but only if they are utilized correctly.

Charts and graphs should be labeled, titled, and captioned in a way so that passing viewers can understand the basic information without a formal presentation.

Tables should be legible from a distance, and should not be packed with text. Utilize white space to avoid creating dense, hard to read tables. Graphs and charts may be easier to view than tables on posters.

How to insert a graph or table (Windows & Mac):

1. In PowerPoint, click on the Insert menu item.
2. From the dropdown menu or tab, click on Table or Chart.
3. Insert and format data.- Graphs: A new window will open for you to insert data for graph generation. Excel is most common default program.
   - Tables: A drop down menu or window will open asking for number of columns and rows.
4. The table or graph will appear on your poster slide; click and drag into position, and then add information as needed (labels, captions, etc.).