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There is little added benefit of learning one. Most academic work doesn't require extensive use of a vector graphics program, so most people are not familiar. Vector graphic programs are really strong on the layout, but take a lot of fiddling.
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Presentation software is a little stronger on the layout and also something you are likely familiar with. Word processors are probbaly the weakest for layout, but are likely the software you are most familair with. For making a poster, the differences within a category are much smaller than the differences across categories. There are advatages/disadvatages to each category and to each piece of software within a category. Vector Graphics (e.g., Illustrator, Inkscape, OpenOffice Draw).Presentation Software (e.g., PowerPoint, Keynote, Impress).Word Processor (Word, Pages, OpenOffice Writer).Each workflow has a number of software implementations. In general there are a number of different distinct workflows that lead to a poster.
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