How to Make a Poster in PowerPoint: Size, Layout and Printing

A poster for a shop window, a stall, a school event or a conference doesn't need design software. If you already have PowerPoint, you have a layout tool where text, shapes and pictures snap into place. The trick is to treat it as a one-page canvas rather than a slide deck.

Microsoft doesn't publish a dedicated step-by-step called make a poster, so I've built this guide from its help pages on slide size and printing, which cover the parts that go wrong. Nothing here relies on downloading anything.

Setting the PowerPoint canvas to poster size first

Do this before you add anything. A poster usually isn't a wide slide, so you'll need a custom size. Microsoft's steps on Windows:

1. Open a blank presentation and go to the Design tab.
2. Select Slide Size, then Custom Slide Size.
3. Choose Portrait for a tall poster, or the wide orientation for a sideways one.
4. Type your Width and Height, a number followed by in, cm or px.
5. Select OK. If PowerPoint asks about scaling on an empty slide, either choice is fine.

On a Mac, Microsoft says to use Design, then Slide Size, then Page Setup instead. In PowerPoint for the web, custom dimensions are in inches only.

The PowerPoint size limits to know before you design a big poster

Microsoft gives the allowed range as a minimum of 1 in and a maximum of 56 in on each side. So a very large print can't be made at full size in PowerPoint. If your printer asks for a bigger finished poster than the limit allows, ask them whether a smaller design that they scale up will work. Don't guess, because scaling rules differ between print shops.

Laying out a poster in PowerPoint with text boxes and shapes

With the size set, treat each part of the poster as its own object:

• Headline: one big text box, a few words, readable from across a room.
• Main image or shape: one clear focus, placed where the eye lands first.
• Supporting details: short lines grouped in one box, not scattered around.
• Call to action: the date, place or how to get in touch, set apart so it can't be missed.
• Margins: leave breathing space around the edges, for reasons I'll explain below.

Use your own photos or ones you have the rights to use. A poster in a public place is a publication, and an image lifted from the internet can cause trouble. If you want the thinking behind clear slide design, my guide to creating a great PowerPoint presentation applies just as well to a single page.

What Maximize and Ensure Fit do when you resize a PowerPoint poster

If you change the size after you've started designing, PowerPoint offers two choices. Microsoft says Maximize enlarges content and may push it off the slide, while Ensure Fit shrinks content so everything remains visible. On a Mac, the options are Scale and Don't Scale. For a poster in progress, Ensure Fit or Scale is safer, and then you tidy up. Changing size early avoids all this.

Getting a PowerPoint poster to print without white edges

This is the problem that spoils the most posters. Microsoft explains that slide backgrounds run to all edges on screen, but printing gives you a white margin because most printers don't print in the margins. PowerPoint can't change that, so Microsoft offers a workaround that needs trial and error:

1. Go to Design, then Slide Size, then Custom Slide Size, and choose the orientation you need.
2. Select View, then Notes Master.
3. Uncheck the text placeholders you don't want to print, such as Page Number, Header, Footer and Date.
4. Drag the slide image so it's slightly smaller than the full page, leaving margins at least as big as your printer's.
5. Select File, then Print, and print a trial page. If it's off centre, return to the Notes Master and adjust.

Microsoft says you may have to repeat the last step several times. The simplest alternative is to keep important text away from the edges and accept a white border, or ask a print shop how they handle it.

Choosing the shape of your PowerPoint poster

Where it will be seen	Think about
Shop window or door	Portrait usually reads well, with a big headline
Event screen or digital sign	A wide slide such as Widescreen may suit
Table stand or handout	Check the paper size you will print on
Social media	Match the shape the platform shows

Those are my rules of thumb, not Microsoft's, so confirm the final size with whoever prints or displays it. If you later need the same artwork on a different shape, the Google version of resizing is in changing the slide size in Google Slides.

Saving and sharing your PowerPoint poster

Save the PowerPoint file so you can edit it again. For printing or emailing, ask the printer which file type they prefer before you export, and check every line of text for typos. Look at the poster at the size it will be printed, not only on your screen. Show it to someone who hasn't seen it, and ask what they notice first.

If your PowerPoint poster looks wrong

1. Content off the edge: undo the resize and choose Ensure Fit (Scale on a Mac).
2. Size not accepted: check it sits inside the 1 in to 56 in range and that you typed in, cm or px.
3. White border in print: follow the Notes Master workaround above, or keep important content away from the edge.
4. Text too small to read: make the headline larger, and cut the words rather than shrinking the type.
5. Menus vary by version, so if you can't find Slide Size, search the Design tab.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a poster in PowerPoint?

Open a blank presentation, go to Design, Slide Size, Custom Slide Size, set the orientation and dimensions, then build the poster with text boxes, shapes and pictures.

What is the biggest poster size PowerPoint allows?

Microsoft gives the maximum slide size as 56 in on each side.

Why does my PowerPoint poster print with a white edge?

Microsoft says most printers don't print in the margins, and PowerPoint can't change that. It offers a Notes Master workaround that needs trial prints.

Should I choose Maximize or Ensure Fit?

Ensure Fit shrinks content so it all stays visible, which is the safer choice. Maximize enlarges content and may push it off the slide.

Can I make a poster in PowerPoint on a Mac?

Yes. Microsoft says to use Design, Slide Size, Page Setup to choose or type a size.