Compilation and Quality Control

Compilation commands and engines, then the full pre-print QC procedure: page-size verification, overflow detection, reduced-scale test prints, font embedding, image DPI, file size, and log-warning triage.

10. Compilation and Output

Generate high-quality PDF output for printing or digital display:

Compilation Commands:

# Basic compilation
pdflatex poster.tex

# With bibliography
pdflatex poster.tex
bibtex poster
pdflatex poster.tex
pdflatex poster.tex

# For beamer-based posters
lualatex poster.tex  # Better font support
xelatex poster.tex   # Unicode and modern fonts

Ensuring Full Page Coverage:

Posters should use the entire page without excessive margins. Configure packages correctly:

beamerposter - Full Page Setup:

\documentclass[final,t]{beamer}
\usepackage[size=a0,scale=1.4,orientation=portrait]{beamerposter}

% Remove default beamer margins
\setbeamersize{text margin left=0mm, text margin right=0mm}

% Use geometry for precise control
\usepackage[margin=10mm]{geometry}  % 10mm margins all around

% Remove navigation symbols
\setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{}

% Remove footline and headline if not needed
\setbeamertemplate{footline}{}
\setbeamertemplate{headline}{}

tikzposter - Full Page Setup:

\documentclass[
  25pt,                      % Font scaling
  a0paper,                   % Paper size
  portrait,                  % Orientation
  margin=10mm,               % Outer margins (minimal)
  innermargin=15mm,          % Space inside blocks
  blockverticalspace=15mm,   % Space between blocks
  colspace=15mm,             % Space between columns
  subcolspace=8mm            % Space between subcolumns
]{tikzposter}

% This ensures content fills the page

baposter - Full Page Setup:

\documentclass[a0paper,portrait,fontscale=0.285]{baposter}

\begin{poster}{
  grid=false,
  columns=3,
  colspacing=1.5em,          % Space between columns
  eyecatcher=true,
  background=plain,
  bgColorOne=white,
  borderColor=blue!50,
  headerheight=0.12\textheight,  % 12% for header
  textborder=roundedleft,
  headerborder=closed,
  boxheaderheight=2em        % Consistent box header heights
}
% Content here
\end{poster}

Common Issues and Fixes:

Problem: Large white margins around poster

% Fix for beamerposter
\setbeamersize{text margin left=5mm, text margin right=5mm}

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

% Fix for baposter - adjust in document class
\documentclass[a0paper, margin=5mm]{baposter}

Problem: Content doesn't fill vertical space

% Use \vfill between sections to distribute space
\block{Introduction}{...}
\vfill
\block{Methods}{...}
\vfill
\block{Results}{...}

% Or manually adjust block spacing
\vspace{1cm}  % Add space between specific blocks

Problem: Poster extends beyond page boundaries

% Check total width calculation
% For 3 columns with spacing:
% Total = 3×columnwidth + 2×colspace + 2×margins
% Ensure this equals \paperwidth

% Debug by adding visible page boundary
\usepackage{eso-pic}
\AddToShipoutPictureBG{
  \AtPageLowerLeft{
    \put(0,0){\framebox(\LenToUnit{\paperwidth},\LenToUnit{\paperheight}){}}
  }
}

Print Preparation:

• Generate PDF/X-1a for professional printing
• Embed all fonts
• Convert colors to CMYK if required
• Check resolution of all images (minimum 300 DPI)
• Add bleed area if required by printer (usually 3-5mm)
• Verify page size matches requirements exactly

Digital Display:

• RGB color space for screen display
• Optimize file size for email/web
• Test readability on different screens

11. PDF Review and Quality Control

CRITICAL: Always review the generated PDF before printing or presenting. Use this systematic checklist:

Step 1: Page Size Verification

# Check PDF dimensions (should match poster size exactly)
pdfinfo poster.pdf | grep "Page size"

# Expected outputs:
# A0: 2384 x 3370 points (841 x 1189 mm)
# 36x48": 2592 x 3456 points
# A1: 1684 x 2384 points (594 x 841 mm)

Step 2: OVERFLOW CHECK (CRITICAL) - DO THIS IMMEDIATELY AFTER COMPILATION

⚠️ THIS IS THE #1 CAUSE OF POSTER FAILURES. Check BEFORE proceeding.

Step 2a: Check LaTeX Log File

# Check for overflow warnings (these are ERRORS, not suggestions)
grep -i "overfull\|underfull\|badbox" poster.log

# ANY "Overfull" warning = content is cut off or extending beyond boundaries
# FIX ALL OF THESE before proceeding

Common overflow warnings and what they mean:

• Overfull \hbox (15.2pt too wide) → Text or graphic is 15.2pt wider than column
• Overfull \vbox (23.5pt too high) → Content is 23.5pt taller than available space
• Badbox → LaTeX struggling to fit content within boundaries

Step 2b: Visual Edge Inspection (100% zoom in PDF viewer)

Check ALL FOUR EDGES systematically:

1. TOP EDGE:

   • Title completely visible (not cut off)
   • Author names fully visible
   • No graphics touching top margin
   • Header content within safe zone

2. BOTTOM EDGE:

   • References fully visible (not cut off)
   • Acknowledgments complete
   • Contact info readable
   • No graphics cut off at bottom

3. LEFT EDGE:

   • No text touching left margin
   • All bullet points fully visible
   • Graphics have left margin (not bleeding off)
   • Column content within bounds

4. RIGHT EDGE:

   • No text extending beyond right margin
   • Graphics not cut off on right
   • Column content stays within bounds
   • QR codes fully visible

5. BETWEEN COLUMNS:

   • Content stays within individual columns
   • No text bleeding into adjacent columns
   • Figures respect column boundaries

If ANY check fails, you have overflow. FIX IMMEDIATELY before continuing:

Fix hierarchy (try in order):

1. Check AI-generated graphics first:

   • Are they too complex (5+ elements)? → Regenerate simpler
   • Do they have tiny text? → Regenerate with "150pt+" fonts
   • Are there too many? → Reduce number of figures

2. Reduce sections:

   • More than 5-6 sections? → Combine or remove
   • Example: Merge "Discussion" into "Conclusions"

3. Cut text content:

   • More than 800 words total? → Cut to 300-500
   • More than 100 words per section? → Cut to 50-80

4. Adjust figure sizing:

   • Using width=\linewidth? → Change to width=0.85\linewidth
   • Using width=1.0\columnwidth? → Change to width=0.9\columnwidth

5. Increase margins (last resort):

   latexCopy

   \documentclass[25pt, a0paper, portrait, margin=25mm]{tikzposter}
   

DO NOT proceed to Step 3 if ANY overflow exists.

Step 3: Visual Inspection Checklist

Open PDF at 100% zoom and check:

Layout and Spacing:

• Content fills entire page (no large white margins)
• Consistent spacing between columns
• Consistent spacing between blocks/sections
• All elements aligned properly (use ruler tool)
• No overlapping text or figures
• White space evenly distributed

Typography:

• Title clearly visible and large (72pt+)
• Section headers readable (48-72pt)
• Body text readable at 100% zoom (24-36pt minimum)
• No text cutoff or running off edges
• Consistent font usage throughout
• All special characters render correctly (symbols, Greek letters)

Visual Elements:

• All figures display correctly
• No pixelated or blurry images
• Figure captions present and readable
• Colors render as expected (not washed out or too dark)
• Logos display clearly
• QR codes visible and scannable

Content Completeness:

• Title and authors complete
• All sections present (Intro, Methods, Results, Conclusions)
• References included
• Contact information visible
• Acknowledgments (if applicable)
• No placeholder text remaining (Lorem ipsum, TODO, etc.)

Technical Quality:

• No LaTeX compilation warnings in important areas
• All citations resolved (no [?] marks)
• All cross-references working
• Page boundaries correct (no content cut off)

Step 4: Reduced-Scale Print Test

Essential Pre-Printing Test:

# Create reduced-size test print (25% of final size)
# This simulates viewing full poster from ~8-10 feet

# For A0 poster, print on A4 paper (24.7% scale)
# For 36x48" poster, print on letter paper (~25% scale)

Print Test Checklist:

• Title readable from 6 feet away
• Section headers readable from 4 feet away
• Body text readable from 2 feet away
• Figures clear and understandable
• Colors printed accurately
• No obvious design flaws

Step 5: Digital Quality Checks

Font Embedding Verification:

# Check that all fonts are embedded (required for printing)
pdffonts poster.pdf

# All fonts should show "yes" in "emb" column
# If any show "no", recompile with:
pdflatex -dEmbedAllFonts=true poster.tex

Image Resolution Check:

# Extract image information
pdfimages -list poster.pdf

# Check that all images are at least 300 DPI
# Formula: DPI = pixels / (inches in poster)
# For A0 width (33.1"): 300 DPI = 9930 pixels minimum

File Size Optimization:

# For email/web, compress if needed (>50MB)
gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dCompatibilityLevel=1.4 \
   -dPDFSETTINGS=/printer -dNOPAUSE -dQUIET -dBATCH \
   -sOutputFile=poster_compressed.pdf poster.pdf

# For printing, keep original (no compression)

Step 6: Accessibility Check

Color Contrast Verification:

• Text-background contrast ratio ≥ 4.5:1 (WCAG AA)
• Important elements contrast ratio ≥ 7:1 (WCAG AAA)
• Test online: https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/

Color Blindness Simulation:

• View PDF through color blindness simulator
• Information not lost with red-green simulation
• Use Coblis (color-blindness.com) or similar tool

Step 7: Content Proofreading

Systematic Review:

• Spell-check all text
• Verify all author names and affiliations
• Check all numbers and statistics for accuracy
• Confirm all citations are correct
• Review figure labels and captions
• Check for typos in headers and titles

Peer Review:

• Ask colleague to review poster
• 30-second test: Can they identify main message?
• 5-minute review: Do they understand conclusions?
• Note any confusing elements

Step 8: Technical Validation

LaTeX Compilation Log Review:

# Check for warnings in .log file
grep -i "warning\|error\|overfull\|underfull" poster.log

# Common issues to fix:
# - Overfull hbox: Text extending beyond margins
# - Underfull hbox: Excessive spacing
# - Missing references: Citations not resolved
# - Missing figures: Image files not found

Fix Common Warnings:

% Overfull hbox (text too wide)
\usepackage{microtype}  % Better spacing
\sloppy  % Allow slightly looser spacing
\hyphenation{long-word}  % Manual hyphenation

% Missing fonts
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}  % Better font encoding

% Image not found
% Ensure paths are correct and files exist
\graphicspath{{./figures/}{./images/}}

Step 9: Final Pre-Print Checklist

Before Sending to Printer:

• PDF size exactly matches requirements (check with pdfinfo)
• All fonts embedded (check with pdffonts)
• Color mode correct (RGB for screen, CMYK for print if required)
• Bleed area added if required (usually 3-5mm)
• Crop marks visible if required
• Test print completed and reviewed
• File naming clear: [LastName]_[Conference]_Poster.pdf
• Backup copy saved

Printing Specifications to Confirm:

• Paper type (matte vs. glossy)
• Printing method (inkjet, large format, fabric)
• Color profile (provided to printer if required)
• Delivery deadline and shipping address
• Tube or flat packaging preference

Digital Presentation Checklist:

• PDF size optimized (<10MB for email)
• Tested on multiple PDF viewers (Adobe, Preview, etc.)
• Displays correctly on different screens
• QR codes tested and functional
• Alternative formats prepared (PNG for social media)

Review Script (Available in scripts/review_poster.sh):

#!/bin/bash
# Automated poster PDF review script

echo "Poster PDF Quality Check"
echo "======================="

# Check file exists
if [ ! -f "$1" ]; then
    echo "Error: File not found"
    exit 1
fi

echo "File: $1"
echo ""

# Check page size
echo "1. Page Dimensions:"
pdfinfo "$1" | grep "Page size"
echo ""

# Check fonts
echo "2. Font Embedding:"
pdffonts "$1" | head -20
echo ""

# Check file size
echo "3. File Size:"
ls -lh "$1" | awk '{print $5}'
echo ""

# Count pages (should be 1 for poster)
echo "4. Page Count:"
pdfinfo "$1" | grep "Pages"
echo ""

echo "Manual checks required:"
echo "- Visual inspection at 100% zoom"
echo "- Reduced-scale print test (25%)"
echo "- Color contrast verification"
echo "- Proofreading for typos"

Common PDF Issues and Solutions: