Poster Printing at the Bollinger Digital Fabrication Lab, Holman Biotech Commons

All current Penn students, faculty, staff, UPHS staff, and affiliates.

• Maximum size for one side: 41.5"
  The paper roll is 42" wide, but requires at least a half-inch margin on both sides. The other side of your poster can be as long as you wish.
• Minimum size: 18 x 24. To minimize waste and keep our service sustainable, we reserve the right to refuse requests for posters that are too small.  If we deem your poster to be too small, we will direct you to other printing services in the area (CVS photo services, for example). 
  We will accept multiple copies of smaller posters if you bring them stacked in one file.  

We recommend PDF for best service. At this time we do NOT support Mac's Keynote (.key) or Microsoft Publisher (.pub).

We have most Penn logos in high resolution, but not every single department's logo. We recommend not using a Penn logo that you simply downloaded from a generic Penn webpage, because when printed at poster-size, the image can appear fuzzy or pixelated. 

Because we charge only a fraction of what other places charge, we cannot reprint posters for free unless we make a mistake when printing the poster for you. If you require reliable color reproduction, you should have your projects printed in a facility that offers a color-calibrated output.

We will not be responsible for errors that are consistent with the file. Please make sure you proof-read your poster before the file is sent to the printer (our staff will give you the time to do so).

Poster design is on hiatus due to staffing shortages. 

You can make minor edits to your poster during your half-hour appointment slot.  If edits will take more than the allotted time, you may be asked to reschedule.

The lab's paper cutter handles sizes up to 72 inches. If your poster is longer, we can either center it in order to distribute the extra space evenly at the top and bottom, or you can fold it over or cut it yourself with scissors.

Please note that we will trim posters to full-bleed (less than 1/2" of white space around the print area) as the cutter snags on small areas of material and shreds the edges. You are welcome to use scissors to do it yourself, but we don't want that responsibility :)

No, we do not offer this service.  Try UCS (Houston Hall) or Campus Copy (3907 Walnut Street, 215-386-6410). 

We can print multiple copies of a poster, but require sufficient notice. Please mention the number of copies you will need when scheduling your appointment, and try to schedule your appointment for as far in advance as possible. 

Yes, you can buy a 42" cardboard storage tube for $5.00 or a reusable, plastic telescopic tube with a strap for $30.00.  There is also a limited number of reusable tubes available for short-term loans at the circulation desk (at no cost). 

No. Our paper is not of archival quality, and we use dye-based inks which are not waterproof or fade-resistant. Slidemakers.com offers archival-quality materials.

• Slidemakers.com offers price-matching, same-day delivery and archival-quality materials.
• The Vitale Digital Media Lab
• UCS at Houston Hall - printing and mounting services available. 
• Kinkos (3535 Market Street, 215-386-5679) - Vinyl printing as well as laminating services available.
• Campus Copy (3907 Walnut Street, 215-386-6410) - laminating and mounting services available.
• PosterNerd - Great pricing, printing on canvas as well as shipping to the conference site available.
• El-Co Color Labs, Inc. - Printing on canvas as well as shipping to the conference site available.
• Staples - Good prices, but limited sizes available.
• Spoonflower Posters - custom fabric printing.  Amazing prices for fabric posters but long turnaround times (~2 weeks)

No. For photography printing we suggest a local store (on campus: CVS in the food court at 3401 Walnut Street) or one of the services listed under "Other poster printing facilities".

See our design help section.

We find that 150dpi provides a good balance between file size and print quality. Posters printed at higher resolutions are often too large, cause printing problems, can tie up the print server.

Images with a low resolution (100dpi or less) will appear fuzzy and pixelated when enlarged. This is common with images you may have downloaded from the web. Use images that are at least 150dpi at their final size.

PowerPoint was not developed as a print layout software package. It is important that the proper steps are taken to ensure your file will print successfully. See our design help section. 

We only offer satin photo paper. It has a semi-gloss feel to it.  We also offer a polyester fabric material that is foldable and suitable for travel. 

The fastest way to reach us is by email at biomedposter@gmail.com!