# latex-posters

> Create professional research posters in LaTeX using beamerposter, tikzposter, or baposter with layout design, color schemes, multi-column formats, figure integration, and poster-specific best practices for visual scientific communication.

**Use case**: Design conference research posters in LaTeX

**Canonical URL**: https://agentcookbooks.com/skills/latex-posters/

**Topics**: claude-code, skills, science, scientific-writing

**Trigger phrases**: "create a research poster", "make a conference poster", "LaTeX poster template", "beamerposter layout", "academic poster design"

**Source**: [K-Dense AI](https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills/tree/main/scientific-skills/latex-posters)

**License**: MIT

---

## What it does

`latex-posters` is a Claude Code skill from K-Dense AI's [scientific-agent-skills repo](https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills). It turns Claude into a LaTeX poster designer that produces research poster source files using `beamerposter`, `tikzposter`, or `baposter` — covering multi-column layout design, institutional color schemes, figure integration, and the visual communication principles specific to conference poster format.

A session produces a compilable LaTeX `.tex` file: poster structure with title, authors, affiliation, and abstract block; multi-column content sections; figure placeholders with caption formatting; and a reference list formatted for poster proportions.

## When to use it

Reach for it when:

- You're presenting at a conference and need a poster that compiles to print-ready dimensions (A0, A1, custom)
- You want a branded poster that uses your institution's color palette in a maintainable LaTeX source
- You're adapting a paper to poster format and need help restructuring the content for visual reading order

When *not* to reach for it:

- Slide presentations — use `scientific-slides` for PowerPoint or Beamer talk decks
- Infographic-style one-pagers that don't follow academic poster conventions — use `infographics`

## Install

Copy the `SKILL.md` from K-Dense AI's [latex-posters folder](https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills/tree/main/scientific-skills/latex-posters) into `.claude/skills/latex-posters/` in your project. Requires a LaTeX installation with `beamerposter` and `tikzposter` packages.

Trigger phrases: "create a research poster", "make a conference poster", "LaTeX poster template", "beamerposter layout".

## What a session looks like

A typical session has three phases:

1. **Poster specification.** Specify the conference, poster dimensions, number of columns, and color scheme. Claude asks for the paper abstract or key findings to structure the content sections.
2. **Layout and content drafting.** Claude generates the LaTeX source with the chosen package, populates title/author blocks, distributes content across columns in visual reading order, and adds figure and table environments.
3. **Review and compile.** The `.tex` file is returned with compile instructions. Claude flags any potential package conflicts or font issues based on the target output dimensions.

## Receipts

**Where it works well:**
- Standard A0 portrait posters for biology and medical conferences — the beamerposter defaults are well-calibrated for this format
- Adapting existing paper content to poster flow — Claude reorganizes the narrative from paper reading order to poster scanning order reliably

**Where it backfires:**
- Custom dimensions and unusual aspect ratios can require manual tuning of font sizes and column widths that Claude's first draft doesn't get right
- Institutions with strict branding requirements may need significant color and font overrides beyond the defaults

**Pattern that works:** generate the poster LaTeX source first, compile locally, then iterate on layout and proportions rather than trying to specify every detail upfront.

## Source and attribution

The canonical SKILL.md lives in the [`latex-posters` folder](https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills/tree/main/scientific-skills/latex-posters) of K-Dense AI's scientific-agent-skills repository.

License: MIT. Install, adapt, and redistribute with attribution preserved.

This page documents the skill from a practitioner's perspective. For the formal spec and any updates, defer to the source repo.