# LabCanvas Research Poster: conference posters that arrange themselves

> How to make an A0, A1 or 48 × 36 in research poster in LabCanvas Research Poster: blocks that stack in columns and re-flow their text, themes and block styles, QR codes, and a print-ready vector PDF.

Published 2026-10-18 by LabCanvas team. https://www.labcanvas.com/blog/research-poster-maker

![LabCanvas Research Poster with an A0 poster in three columns, the Blocks palette on the left and page settings on the right](https://www.labcanvas.com/shots/poster.webp)

**LabCanvas Research Poster** makes conference posters from blocks: a title, sections, figures, a key finding, a big number, references, a QR code and contact details. The blocks stack in columns and lay out their own text, so when you drag a block to another column or between two others the poster re-arranges itself, and when you resize a block its text re-flows. Posters export as a vector PDF at their printed size.

## Three finished posters

Each sample is a complete A0 poster with illustrations, molecules and graphs, and opens as your own copy.

:::grid
![A0 poster on layered NMC cathodes made in LabCanvas Research Poster](https://www.labcanvas.com/examples/posters/battery-nmc-sm.webp "More nickel, more energy, shorter life: layered NMC cathodes")
![A0 poster on missing-linker defects in UiO-66 made in LabCanvas Research Poster](https://www.labcanvas.com/examples/posters/mof-uio66-sm.webp "Modulators tune missing-linker defects and porosity in UiO-66")
![A0 poster on gold nanorods made in LabCanvas Research Poster](https://www.labcanvas.com/examples/posters/nano-gold-nanorods-sm.webp "Silver ions set the length and plasmon colour of gold nanorods")
:::

## Blocks instead of text boxes

A poster in a general drawing program is a page of loose text boxes: shorten one paragraph and everything below it has to be moved by hand. In Research Poster each section is a block that knows its column. Blocks grow with their text and the blocks below move down; drop a block into another column and both columns re-stack.

| Block | Use |
| --- | --- |
| Title | Title, authors and affiliations across the top |
| Section | Introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusions |
| Figure | An image or a LabCanvas figure with a caption |
| Key finding | The one sentence a visitor should remember |
| Big number | A headline result, such as 87 % |
| References | Numbered references in a small type size |
| QR code | A link to the paper, data or the poster itself |

## Themes and styles

Pick a colour theme (Ocean, Teal, Graphite, Sunset, Forest, Plum, Crimson, Midnight) and a block style (cards, outline, minimal, tinted or banner), and every block restyles at once. Fonts, margins, gutters and the number of columns are page settings.

## How to make a poster

1. Open [Research Poster](https://www.labcanvas.com/poster.html?new=1) and choose a size and template.
2. Double-click any text to write; blocks grow and the columns re-stack.
3. Drag blocks from the **Blocks** panel onto the poster; drop images onto figure blocks.
4. Use the Library (Shift+O) for science objects, and paste graphs from Graphs & statistics.
5. Pick a theme and block style, then **Export** a vector PDF at the printed size.

## Writing for a poster

- **State the finding in the title**, not just the topic.
- **Keep sections to a few short bullet points**: people read posters from two metres away.
- **One key finding block** with the main result in plain language.
- **Large figures with large labels**; check the printed size before you export.

## Frequently asked questions

### What poster sizes are there?

A0 and A1 portrait, 48 × 36 in landscape, a billboard-style #betterposter layout and custom sizes in millimetres or inches.

### How do I move a section to another column?

Drag the block by its heading and drop it into another column or between two blocks. The columns re-stack; with **Auto-arrange** on, the poster keeps the columns tidy for you.

### Which formats can I export?

A vector PDF at the printed size for the print shop, plus PNG, JPEG and SVG.

### Can I add a QR code to my paper or data?

Yes. The QR code block makes a code from any link, with a caption, so visitors can open the paper, the data or the poster itself.

### Are there finished examples?

Three complete A0 posters (layered NMC cathodes, defects in UiO-66 and gold nanorods) open as your own copy from the [home page](/#posters).

## Related links

- [Open a blank poster](https://www.labcanvas.com/poster.html?new=1)
- [Sample posters on the home page](https://www.labcanvas.com/#posters)
- [The Figure editor guide](https://www.labcanvas.com/blog/figure-editor-scientific-illustration): Make the figures for your poster
- [Graphs & statistics guide](https://www.labcanvas.com/blog/graphs-statistics-scientific-plots): Graphs that stay linked to their data
- [Make a conference poster: tutorial](https://www.labcanvas.com/tutorials)