I will be flying from the East Coast to San Diego to attend a scientific meeting and I'll be presenting a poster during this meeting. The poster is not printed yet. It will be about 4 feet by about 5 feet. Carrying this poster on board the plane won't work. I thought about shipping it but FEDEX says about $80 and that's for FEDEX Ground. Has anyone experience with this or any good ideas? Should I get a large, round tube to check it with my baggage?? This is a problem because the printer said it isn't good to roll them up.
Help...I need some good ideas!!
Thank you in advance!

In my experience with posters I just go to Staples or Office Max and buy a tube and carry it on board. It should fit nicely in the overhead luggage compartment. If there is no room in the overhead compartment, the flight attendent will most likely let you store it in one of the closets. I have always rolled my posters up and nver had a problem.

Thank you for the quick reply. Was your poster OK after being rolled up?? I'm not sure why the printer said this wasn't a good idea!

I used to carry posters on business trips, and always put them in a tube, but I also took extra precautions: I rolled the poster together with two plain sheets of foolscap (clean, unprinted newspaper), one on each side like a sandwich, so the poster never touched itself, to prevent ink from rubbing off; and, I rolled them backwards, that is, front side out, so that when I unrolled them and tacked them up, they weren't curly in the wrong direction. I also finally invested in a hard plastic tube, because my cardboard tube got crushed once. Hope this helps--good luck!

Thank you! These are great ideas!
It sounds like I got bad advice about not rolling up the poster.
E, where did you find a tube big enough??

What type of paper will the poster be printed on? If it's being printed from a digital file, could you wait till you get to your destination and go to a service bureau there?

Check with your printer again. Find out why he's making that recommendation (not to roll it.) It might be because it's being printed on a stock that is so heavy that it can't be rolled...

I don't have enough time in California once I arrive- I thought of that already!
I am going to the printer and get more info. I don't see why it can't be printed on lighter paper. Thanks!!

Hi Emily,

I work at a company that does reprographics and we frequently print large format posters etc. and roll them for shipping in a tube. I just checked and we sent a Fedex tube that weighed 20 lbs from PA to CA for about 35.00. I think it was a bit smaller than what you have. Check with your printer and ask for some suggestions. Maybe they can print it on different media, etc.I would hesitate to carry it on a plane just because it is awkward to juggle along with a handbag and luggage. I am not the graphics person here so I don't know all the specifics but find a printer who will find an easier way to get your poster there!

I work with authors who do this all the time. We always roll these posters into tubes and ship FedEx. If your printer says this won't work he must be printing on the wrong type of paper. Assuming the poster has proper time to dry completely there is no reason this will not work. If your printer insists this is dangerous, pull the job and go to another printer who knows what he is doing.

Hi EmilyC,

I have rolled up posters and transported them in tubes several time without any damage to it. E has given you some good advice.

You know, the 4'x5' size of your poster did give me pause. I no longer have my tube, but it couldn't have been taller than, say, 3 feet, which would mean that you'd have to fold and roll, and I'm not sure I'd do that. (Although I have ironed posters, too; the things we do...!)Bottom line, talk to your printer and let's hope s/he has some ideas. Good luck--I'd love to hear how this works out!

I used to travel to give traing and presentations a couple of times a month. I have successfully taken posters on board, and have shipped them UPS and FedEx.

But mine were usually normal flip chart sized and yours is larger.

Does it have to be 4X5?

If so, shipping FedEx/UPS in a tube should work just fine. I'd press the printer tho' for why he says it can't be rolled and if it really can't - how would HE send it?

Thanks everyone!!

My son-in-law just left here yesterday after a week's anthropology conference at which he presented a poster the same size yours will be. The person he co-authored with had it printed and brought it here rolled in a cardboard tube. We went to his presentation and it looked fine, didn't look as if it had been rolled. He left yesterday and was carrying it on the plane, not checking it, so I assume this is possible (although we haven't spoken with them since they got home, so I'll check). This was 1 meeting, 600 presenters, so it must be common and something airlines deal with frequently!

Emily--I asked how it went and here's his reply with more specifics, should you need them.

"have taken posters as a carry-on in a tube several times without a problem. There are several different ways to print them - if hers is laminated then it should be rolled with the text facing out or it will keep trying to peel off the display board, when tacked up. The one next to me at the meeting must have peeled off and fallen on the floor 5 times. If it is not laminated then it should be rolled up with the text facing in to protect the surface for display from rubbing on the inside of the tube. Mine is roughly the same size as hers and fit in the overhead bin no problem."

Thank you "Olive Oil" - great advice...I went to the printer today and reduced the size so that it will fit in a fedex tube but I may attempt to carry it on board the plane and put it in the overhead.
This board is so great, isn't it - in less than 24 hours I got lots of great advice! Thank you all!