Looking for an inexpensive way to decorate your classroom? Stop spending money on expensive posters from teacher stores! In this post, I’ll show you how to make cheap classroom posters for teachers using Adobe PDF.
Watch How to Make Cheap Classroom Posters
This post lists step-by-step instructions for how to make cheap classroom posters using PDFs. But, if you’re more of a visual learner (like me), I’ve also created this short video that shows every step of the process.
Create a Custom Classroom Poster
Creating classroom posters from PDFs is an easy and inexpensive way to decorate your classroom.
First, you need a PDF to turn into a poster. You can use an existing PDF worksheet that you already have or you can design your own. When designing my posters, I like to start in PowerPoint. It is important to check the slide settings to ensure the slide will convert to Adobe PDF without any problems.
- Click “Design” in the top toolbar.
- Click “Slide Size” near the top, right corner and select “Custom Slide Size.”
- Change the “Orientation” to “Portrait.”
- Make sure the “Width” is set to 8.5 inches and the “Height” is set to 11 inches.
After adjusting the settings on the PowerPoint slide, add text and images.
When you are finished designing the poster on the slide, convert the slide to a PDF.
- Click “File” in the top toolbar.
- Select “Save as Adobe PDF.”
- Give the file a name and select where it will be saved on your computer.
- Click “Save.”
Print Classroom Posters for Cheap
After opening a document in PDF, making a cheap classroom poster doesn’t get any easier.
- Click the print icon near the top, left corner. This will open a box of print settings in the middle of your screen.
- Under the section labeled “Print Sizing & Handling,” select the “Poster” button. This will cause several new settings to appear directly under the “Poster” button.
- Change the number next to “Tile Scale” to 180%.
- Click “Print.”
Helpful Tip: Do you use anchor charts in your classroom? I create all of my math anchor charts in PowerPoint, convert them to Adobe PDF, and print them as posters. You can laminate the anchor chart to save for use in future years. You can also save the digital version and print a new poster each year. Either way, it saves lots of time because you don’t have to recreate new anchor charts each school year. If you’re looking for pre-made math anchor charts, they are included in all of my detailed math lesson plans.
Assemble Your Classroom Poster
Your classroom poster will print across four pages. All you have to do is tape the four pages together.
Most printers will leave a white border around the edges because they are unable to print all the way to the edge. If this is the case, it is best to cut the white borders off so that your pages line up perfectly.
You can also have your poster laminated so that it holds up over time.
Helpful Tip: Is anyone else terrible at cutting straight lines? Use a paper cutter to cut off any white edges. This will keep the edges of your posters straight. Most schools have an industrial-sized paper cutter that you can use.
Conclusion
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a cute classroom. Using Adobe PDF is an easy way to make cheap classroom posters. Best of all, when you make your own posters, your classroom décor will always align to your standards and look exactly the way you want it to look.
