# Conference Poster > > - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-zj-karina-my-little-poster-my-little-poster` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [zj-karina](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/zj-karina) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [zj-karina](https://github.com/zj-karina) - **Source:** https://github.com/zj-karina/my-little-poster ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-zj-karina-my-little-poster-my-little-poster ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Conference Poster Builder Turn a paper into a print-ready academic poster for **any** conference, with minimal effort and full control. The user supplies a paper (link or PDF) and a venue; the skill figures out the required poster size, builds the layout, and exports a PDF at the exact physical size. Output is one self-contained HTML file (editable live in the browser) plus the PDF. ## What you require from the user (in this order) 1. **The venue** (FIRST, required): a link to the workshop / conference / paper page, or its name. You then **research the poster requirements** for it (size, orientation, board/tape, print deadline). 2. **The paper** (required): a **preprint link** (arXiv / OpenReview / direct `.pdf`) **or** an uploaded **PDF** of their paper. 3. **The style** (interview — see step 0C). 4. Optional: logos, exact author list, which figure is the centerpiece, QR target URL. ## Workflow Do these in order. Keep generated files in a working dir like `./poster//` (create it; never write into the skill folder). Scripts live in this skill's `scripts/`. Use **AskUserQuestion** for the interview; ask in this sequence, don't interrogate, and skip anything already given. ### 0A. Venue → research the poster spec (ask first) Ask for the **workshop / conference / paper link or name**. Resolve its poster spec from `reference/poster-specs.md`: presets table first; else **web-search the official instructions**, extract orientation + max W×H (convert to inches) + board/tape/deadline rules. **Confirm the final WIDTH × HEIGHT + orientation with the user** (a wrong size = a wasted print). Fallback: A0 portrait (33.1×46.8 in), flagged. ### 0B. Paper Ask for the **preprint link or a PDF**. (Fetched in step 1.) ### 0C. Style interview (formal vs informal, then branch) Ask whether they want it **formal** or **informal / fun** — let them **describe in their own words what they want**; if they're unsure, **propose a style** (offer 2–3 concrete ideas, incl. a relevant association with their topic). Once they agree, branch: - **FORMAL.** Ask them to describe the design approximately — **fonts and colors**. Build a clean academic poster: their palette (or a sober preset: Indigo / Ocean-ICML blue / Slate mono / Crimson), the requested fonts, **no `.decor`, no emoji, no slang**, logos only, lots of whitespace ("Clean academic mode" in `reference/styles.md`). - **INFORMAL / fun.** Ask if they have a **fal.ai API key** (offer it — it gives by far the best result; get it via AskUserQuestion "Other" → paste, or `FAL_KEY`; never hard-code/log it). - **No key → web-preset flow** (like the original Floppa build). Pull a real, trendy palette (`scripts/extract_palette.py` / curated-Pantone, cite it) and **real themed art from the web** (`scripts/fetch_image.py`), and place the images **only where there is no text** — margins / whitespace / beside figures, composed HERO-first (decoration-forward layout in `reference/styles.md`). Never emoji-only from memory. - **Key given → paint-over flow** (best). (a) Build a **clean base poster first** — nice colors, **no decor/emoji**, roomy empty margins (`.poster` padding ~1.4in) — and rasterize it to `base.png`. (b) Hand it to Nano Banana Pro to paint cohesive themed decoration in the user's style: `scripts/decorate_poster_fal.py base.png decorated.png --theme "" --resolution 4K`. (c) ⚠️ The image model **corrupts text/numbers** — overlay the pixel-exact content back: `scripts/composite_content.py index.html decorated.png poster_final.png` (transparent re-render, decoration stays integrated, data stays exact). (d) Wrap to PDF: `scripts/img_to_pdf.py poster_final.png poster.pdf `. ### 0D. Logos (optional) Ask which org/lab logos to include. The user can **name them**; fetch each with `python3 scripts/fetch_logo.py ./poster//logo-.png` (web-search the official domain / a Wikimedia SVG for a clean result). Drop them into the header `.logos` block. ### 1. Get the PDF + real metadata - **PDF.** If given a **URL or arXiv id**: `python3 scripts/fetch_pdf.py ./poster//paper.pdf` (resolves arXiv/OpenReview to the real PDF; stdlib-only). If given a **local path**: use it directly. If a download fails (paywall/landing page), ask the user to drop the PDF in. - **Authors (important).** If the paper is on **OpenReview**, the PDF is often anonymized but the real author list is public — fetch it: `python3 scripts/fetch_openreview_meta.py ` returns title, **full author list**, and venue. Use these authors verbatim (don't trust an "Anonymous Authors" PDF). For arXiv, the PDF/abs page authors are reliable. ### 2. Extract content + figures from the PDF Pull text and figures. Helpers are PyMuPDF-based and need **no poppler**: - Read the PDF with the Read tool to get title, authors, affiliations, abstract, contributions, method, key results, references. - **Figures shipped as separate files** (often vector `.pdf`): rasterize each, auto-trimmed: `python3 scripts/fig_to_png.py fig.pdf ./poster//centerpiece.png --dpi 300` (works on `.pdf` pages and `.png/.jpg`; trims whitespace). - **Only the paper PDF**: `python3 scripts/extract_figures.py paper.pdf ./poster//_figs` dumps embedded rasters + renders every page with a manifest; pick a centerpiece, then clean it with `fig_to_png.py`. - Legacy fallback if poppler *is* present: `pdfimages -all` / `pdftoppm -png -r 200`. - If extraction fails entirely, proceed with placeholders and ask for figure PNGs. Capture specifically: - **Title**, **authors**, **affiliations**, **venue line**. - The **single headline finding** in plain language → the giant central takeaway. A complete sentence a non-expert grasps in 5 seconds. This carries ~90% of the poster — spend real effort here. - 3–5 **contributions / key results** as short bullets (with the actual numbers). - A 1–2 sentence **method** summary. - The **centerpiece figure** + 1–3 **supporting figures**. - 3–6 **key references** (short form). ### 3. Build the poster HTML at the right size Copy `assets/template.html` into the working dir as `index.html`, then: 1. **Set the physical size** from step 0 in BOTH places (they must match): the `:root` `--w` / `--h` variables AND the `@page { size: }` rule. Use real units (in/cm). 2. For **landscape** posters, widen `.support` to 3 columns (noted inline in the template). 3. Fill the marked `` sections with the paper content. 4. **Apply the style from step 0C:** set the `:root` palette + fonts; for **formal** and for the **paint-over (informal+key)** flows build this as the *clean* poster (no `.decor`, no emoji; paint-over also uses roomy ~1.4in margins). For **informal without a key**, also place the web-sourced art in the `.decor` layer (HERO-first, only where there's no text). Design rules to honor (Morrison "Better Poster" + ML-conference norms — see `reference/design-rules.md`): - **One giant plain-language takeaway** dominates the center (the hero). - **Minimal text.** ~40–50% of area = visuals/whitespace. Cut ruthlessly. The poster is the tools for a 5–10 min pitch, not a copy of the paper. - **Type sizes** scale with poster size; the template's CSS vars are tuned for ~24×36 — bump them up for A0/larger. Body must be readable from ~4–6 ft. - **QR ≥ ~4 in**, near the takeaway, labeled "Scan for the paper". Sans-serif, one accent color, generous margins. Generate the QR with `python3 scripts/make_qr.py ./poster//qr.png` (auto-installs `segno`). Embed it (the template references `qr.png`). ### 4. Render the PDF at the exact size `bash scripts/export_pdf.sh ./poster//index.html ./poster//poster.pdf ` (pass the target width/height in inches so it verifies the output). Uses headless Chrome honoring the CSS `@page` size, then checks it's a single page at the expected dimensions. If size/page count is wrong, fix `@page`/`:root` to match and re-run. **For the paint-over (informal + fal.ai key) flow**, this export is the *clean base*: rasterize it to `base.png`, then run the decorate → composite → `img_to_pdf` chain from step 0C to produce the final decorated `poster.pdf`. ### 4b. Design review (composes with the Anthropic "Design" plugin) Before handoff, run a design + accessibility pass on the rendered poster — see `reference/design-review.md`. - Render a `preview.png` (e.g. `python3 -c "import fitz; fitz.open('poster.pdf')[0] .get_pixmap(matrix=fitz.Matrix(110/72,110/72)).save('preview.png')"`) and look at it. - **Always run** `python3 scripts/contrast_check.py ./poster//index.html` — it audits the `:root` colors + `.takeaway` gradient stops against WCAG (a vibrant band gradient often fails white text at its lightest stop; darken that stop). Fix failures, re-export, re-check. - If the **Design plugin** is installed, invoke its `design-critique` and `accessibility-review` skills on the preview/HTML and apply the high-severity findings (hierarchy, consistency, contrast, legibility). If not, use the distilled checklist in `reference/design-review.md`. Then re-export. ### 5. Hand off Report to the user: - Paths to `index.html` (editable) and `poster.pdf` (print-ready), and the final size. - How to **edit**: open `index.html` in Chrome; text is editable inline; swap images by replacing files; tweak accent color / sizes via the CSS variables; re-run step 4. - **Print/logistics**: the size + orientation, the print deadline and mounting rules you found in step 0 (tape vs pins, board location), and recommended 100–300 DPI at full size. For ICML workshop specifically, see `reference/icml-2026-spec.md`. - ⚠️ **Proofread before printing**: AI can misrender equations, numbers, citations, and the poster *size*. Tell the user to verify every metric, figure label, author name, and the physical dimensions against the official venue page. ## Files - `assets/template.html` — self-contained billboard poster template (inline CSS), parametric size (set `:root --w/--h` + `@page`); portrait or landscape. - `scripts/fetch_pdf.py` — resolve a preprint URL / arXiv id to a local PDF (stdlib only). - `scripts/fetch_openreview_meta.py` — title + full author list + venue from an OpenReview submission (the real authors, even when the PDF is anonymized). Stdlib only. - `scripts/fetch_logo.py` — download an org logo as PNG by name / domain / image URL (Clearbit + favicon fallback). For a name, web-search the real domain first. - `scripts/fetch_image.py` — download themed decoration art (transparent PNG/SVG) by direct URL(s) for "described" styles; preserves transparency, resizes sanely. - `scripts/extract_palette.py` — pull a real, on-trend color palette (hex + role suggestions) from a reference image / the hero asset, for the style-discovery flow. - `scripts/gen_asset_fal.py` — OPTIONAL: generate bespoke transparent-PNG themed art via fal.ai Nano Banana Pro (Gemini 3 Pro Image) when the user supplies a `FAL_KEY`; auto-cuts the rendered checkerboard with rembg; exits non-zero (fall back) if no key. - `scripts/decorate_poster_fal.py` — OPTIONAL (preferred themed flow): hand a clean rendered poster PNG to Nano Banana Pro (edit) to paint cohesive themed decoration into the margins. - `scripts/composite_content.py` — re-render the clean HTML with a transparent background and overlay it on the decorated image, so data stays pixel-exact AND the decoration stays integrated (not boxed). Mandatory after decorate (the edit model corrupts text/numbers). - `scripts/img_to_pdf.py` — wrap a full-bleed poster image into a single PDF page at exact size. - `scripts/extract_figures.py` — dump embedded images + render pages from a paper PDF (PyMuPDF, no poppler), with a manifest, to pick a centerpiece. - `scripts/fig_to_png.py` — rasterize one figure (vector PDF page or image) to a whitespace-trimmed, high-DPI PNG ready for the poster. - `scripts/make_qr.py` — QR PNG generator (auto-installs `segno`). - `scripts/contrast_check.py` — WCAG 2.1 contrast audit of the poster's palette (parses `:root` + the `.takeaway` gradient); also checks a single fg/bg pair. - `scripts/export_pdf.sh` — headless-Chrome HTML→PDF at the poster's exact size; verifies single page + dimensions (PyMuPDF fallback when poppler is absent). - `reference/poster-specs.md` — how to research any venue's spec + a presets table. - `reference/styles.md` — named color/style presets + the research-driven "described styles". - `reference/design-review.md` — design + accessibility review pass; composes with the Anthropic "Design" plugin (design-critique / accessibility-review) or runs a distilled print-poster checklist standalone. - `reference/icml-2026-spec.md` — detailed ICML 2026 workshop spec + logistics (one preset). - `reference/design-rules.md` — billboard / Better-Poster design checklist. ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [zj-karina](https://github.com/zj-karina) - **Source:** [zj-karina/my-little-poster](https://github.com/zj-karina/my-little-poster) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-zj-karina-my-little-poster-my-little-poster - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/zj-karina - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. 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