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LaTeX Research Poster Generation Skill

Create professional, publication-ready research posters for conferences and academic presentations using LaTeX.

Overview

This skill provides comprehensive guidance for creating research posters with three major LaTeX packages:

beamerposter: Traditional academic posters, familiar Beamer syntax
tikzposter: Modern, colorful designs with TikZ integration
baposter: Structured multi-column layouts with automatic positioning

Quick Start

1. Choose a Template

Browse templates in assets/:

beamerposter_template.tex - Classic academic style
tikzposter_template.tex - Modern, colorful design
baposter_template.tex - Structured multi-column layout

2. Customize Content

Edit the template with your research:

Title, authors, affiliations
Introduction, methods, results, conclusions
Replace placeholder figures with your images
Update references and acknowledgments

3. Configure for Full Page

Posters should span the entire page with minimal margins:

% beamerposter - full page setup
\documentclass[final,t]{beamer}
\usepackage[size=a0,scale=1.4,orientation=portrait]{beamerposter}
\setbeamersize{text margin left=5mm, text margin right=5mm}
\usepackage[margin=10mm]{geometry}

% tikzposter - full page setup
\documentclass[25pt,a0paper,portrait,margin=10mm,innermargin=15mm]{tikzposter}

% baposter - full page setup
\documentclass[a0paper,portrait,fontscale=0.285]{baposter}

4. Compile

pdflatex poster.tex

# Or for better font support:
lualatex poster.tex
xelatex poster.tex

5. Review PDF Quality

Essential before printing!

# Run automated checks
./scripts/review_poster.sh poster.pdf

# Manual verification (see checklist below)

Key Features

Full Page Coverage

All templates configured to maximize content area:

Minimal outer margins (5-15mm)
Optimal spacing between columns (15-20mm)
Proper block padding for readability
No wasted white space

PDF Quality Control

Automated Checks (review_poster.sh):

Page size verification
Font embedding check
Image resolution analysis
File size optimization

Manual Verification (assets/poster_quality_checklist.md):

Visual inspection at 100% zoom
Reduced-scale print test (25%)
Typography and spacing review
Content completeness check

Design Principles

All templates follow evidence-based poster design:

Typography: 72pt+ title, 48-72pt headers, 24-36pt body text
Color: High contrast (≥4.5:1), color-blind friendly palettes
Layout: Clear visual hierarchy, logical flow
Content: 300-800 words maximum, 40-50% visual content

Common Poster Sizes

Templates support all standard sizes:

Size	Dimensions	Configuration
A0	841 × 1189 mm	`size=a0` or `a0paper`
A1	594 × 841 mm	`size=a1` or `a1paper`
36×48"	914 × 1219 mm	Custom page size
42×56"	1067 × 1422 mm	Custom page size

Documentation

Reference Guides

Comprehensive Documentation (in references/):

latex_poster_packages.md (746 lines)
- Detailed comparison of beamerposter, tikzposter, baposter
- Package-specific syntax and examples
- Strengths, limitations, best use cases
- Theme and color customization
- Compilation tips and troubleshooting
poster_design_principles.md (807 lines)
- Visual hierarchy and white space
- Typography: font selection, sizing, readability
- Color theory: schemes, contrast, accessibility
- Color-blind friendly palettes
- Icons, graphics, and visual elements
- Common design mistakes to avoid
poster_layout_design.md (650+ lines)
- Grid systems (2, 3, 4-column layouts)
- Visual flow and reading patterns
- Spatial organization strategies
- White space management
- Block and box design
- Layout patterns by research type
poster_content_guide.md (900+ lines)
- Content strategy (3-5 minute rule)
- Word budgets by section
- Visual-to-text ratio (40-50% visual)
- Section-specific writing guidance
- Figure integration and captions
- From paper to poster adaptation

Tools and Assets

Scripts (in scripts/):

review_poster.sh: Automated PDF quality check
- Page size verification
- Font embedding check
- Image resolution analysis
- File size assessment

Checklists (in assets/):

poster_quality_checklist.md: Comprehensive pre-printing checklist
- Pre-compilation checks
- PDF quality verification
- Visual inspection items
- Accessibility checks
- Peer review guidelines
- Final printing checklist

Templates (in assets/):

beamerposter_template.tex: Full working template
tikzposter_template.tex: Full working template
baposter_template.tex: Full working template

Workflow

Troubleshooting

Large White Margins

Problem: Excessive white space around poster edges

Solution:

% beamerposter
\setbeamersize{text margin left=5mm, text margin right=5mm}
\usepackage[margin=10mm]{geometry}

% tikzposter
\documentclass[..., margin=5mm, innermargin=10mm]{tikzposter}

% baposter
\documentclass[a0paper, margin=5mm]{baposter}

Content Cut Off

Problem: Text or figures extending beyond page

Solution:

Check total width: columns + spacing + margins = pagewidth
Reduce column widths or spacing
Debug with visible page boundary:

\usepackage{eso-pic}
\AddToShipoutPictureBG{
  \AtPageLowerLeft{
    \put(0,0){\framebox(\LenToUnit{\paperwidth},\LenToUnit{\paperheight}){}}
  }
}

Blurry Images

Problem: Pixelated or low-quality figures

Solution:

Use vector graphics (PDF, SVG) when possible
Raster images: minimum 300 DPI at final print size
For A0 width (33.1"): 300 DPI = 9930 pixels minimum
Check with: pdfimages -list poster.pdf

Fonts Not Embedded

Problem: Printer rejects PDF due to missing fonts

Solution:

# Recompile with embedded fonts
pdflatex -dEmbedAllFonts=true poster.tex

# Verify embedding
pdffonts poster.pdf
# All fonts should show "yes" in "emb" column

File Too Large

Problem: PDF exceeds email size limit (>50MB)

Solution:

# Compress for digital sharing
gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dCompatibilityLevel=1.4 \
   -dPDFSETTINGS=/printer -dNOPAUSE -dQUIET -dBATCH \
   -sOutputFile=poster_compressed.pdf poster.pdf

# Keep original uncompressed version for printing

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Content

❌ Too much text (>1000 words)
❌ Font sizes too small (<24pt body text)
❌ No clear main message
✅ 300-800 words, 30pt+ body text, 1-3 key findings

Design

❌ Poor color contrast (<4.5:1)
❌ Red-green color combinations (color-blind issue)
❌ Cluttered layout with no white space
✅ High contrast, accessible colors, generous spacing

Technical

❌ Wrong poster dimensions
❌ Low resolution images (<300 DPI)
❌ Fonts not embedded
✅ Verify specs, high-res images, embedded fonts

Package Comparison

Quick reference for choosing the right package:

Feature	beamerposter	tikzposter	baposter
Learning Curve	Easy (Beamer users)	Moderate	Moderate
Aesthetics	Traditional	Modern	Professional
Customization	Moderate	High (TikZ)	Structured
Compilation Speed	Fast	Slower	Fast-Medium
Best For	Academic conferences	Creative designs	Multi-column layouts

Recommendation:

First-time poster makers: beamerposter (familiar, simple)
Modern conferences: tikzposter (beautiful, flexible)
Complex layouts: baposter (automatic positioning)

Example Usage

In Scientific Writer CLI

> Create a research poster for NeurIPS conference on transformer attention

The assistant will:
1. Ask about poster size and orientation
2. Generate complete LaTeX poster with your content
3. Configure for full page coverage
4. Provide compilation instructions
5. Run quality checks on generated PDF

Manual Creation

# 1. Copy template
cp assets/tikzposter_template.tex my_poster.tex

# 2. Edit content
vim my_poster.tex

# 3. Compile
pdflatex my_poster.tex

# 4. Review
./scripts/review_poster.sh my_poster.pdf

# 5. Test print at 25% scale
# (A0 on A4 paper)

# 6. Final printing

Tips for Success

Content Strategy

One main message: What's the one thing viewers should remember?
3-5 key figures: Visual content dominates
300-800 words: Less is more
Bullet points: More scannable than paragraphs

Design Strategy

High contrast: Dark on light or light on dark
Large fonts: 30pt+ body text for readability from distance
White space: 30-40% of poster should be empty
Visual hierarchy: Vary sizes significantly (title 3× body text)

Technical Strategy

Test early: Print at 25% scale before final printing
Vector graphics: Use PDF/SVG when possible
Verify specs: Check page size, fonts, resolution
Get feedback: Ask colleague to review before printing

Additional Resources

Online Tools

Color contrast checker: https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
Color blindness simulator: https://www.color-blindness.com/coblis-color-blindness-simulator/
Color palette generator: https://coolors.co/

LaTeX Packages

beamerposter: Extends Beamer for poster-sized documents
tikzposter: Modern poster creation with TikZ
baposter: Box-based automatic poster layout
qrcode: Generate QR codes in LaTeX
graphicx: Include images
tcolorbox: Colored boxes and frames

Support

For issues or questions:

Review reference documentation in references/
Check troubleshooting section above
Run automated review: ./scripts/review_poster.sh
Use quality checklist: assets/poster_quality_checklist.md

Version

LaTeX Poster Skill v1.0 Compatible with: beamerposter, tikzposter, baposter Last updated: January 2025

11 KiB Raw Permalink Blame History Unescape Escape

LaTeX Research Poster Generation Skill

Overview

Quick Start

1. Choose a Template

2. Customize Content

3. Configure for Full Page

4. Compile

5. Review PDF Quality

Key Features

Full Page Coverage

PDF Quality Control

Design Principles

Common Poster Sizes

Documentation

Reference Guides

Tools and Assets

Workflow

Recommended Poster Creation Process

Troubleshooting

Large White Margins

Content Cut Off

Blurry Images

Fonts Not Embedded

File Too Large

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Content

Design

Technical

Package Comparison

Example Usage

In Scientific Writer CLI

Manual Creation

Tips for Success

Content Strategy

Design Strategy

Technical Strategy

Additional Resources

Online Tools

LaTeX Packages

Further Reading

Support

Version

11 KiB

Raw Permalink Blame History