Standard Poster Sizes
Common US poster sizes are measured in inches, and international sizes follow ISO 216 (A series, in millimetres). Pixel sizes are calculated as inches × DPI. The last column is the number of portrait US Letter sheets needed with this site's tiler, assuming the tiler's defaults: 6 mm printer margins and 5 mm overlap.
| Name | Size | Metric | Pixels @150 DPI | Pixels @300 DPI | Letter pages (across × down) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | 8.5 × 11 in | 21.6 × 27.9 cm | 1275 × 1650 | 2550 × 3300 | 2×2 |
| Tabloid / Ledger | 11 × 17 in | 27.9 × 43.2 cm | 1650 × 2550 | 3300 × 5100 | 2×2 |
| Small poster | 18 × 24 in | 45.7 × 61.0 cm | 2700 × 3600 | 5400 × 7200 | 3×3 |
| Medium poster | 24 × 36 in | 61.0 × 91.4 cm | 3600 × 5400 | 7200 × 10800 | 4×4 |
| Movie one-sheet | 27 × 40 in | 68.6 × 101.6 cm | 4050 × 6000 | 8100 × 12000 | 4×4 |
| A4 | 210 × 297 mm | 21.0 × 29.7 cm | 1240 × 1754 | 2480 × 3508 | 2×2 |
| A3 | 297 × 420 mm | 29.7 × 42.0 cm | 1754 × 2480 | 3508 × 4961 | 2×2 |
| A2 | 420 × 594 mm | 42.0 × 59.4 cm | 2480 × 3508 | 4961 × 7016 | 3×3 |
| A1 | 594 × 841 mm | 59.4 × 84.1 cm | 3508 × 4967 | 7016 × 9933 | 3×4 |
| A0 | 841 × 1189 mm | 84.1 × 118.9 cm | 4967 × 7022 | 9933 × 14043 | 5×5 |
A Letter-size poster on Letter paper is still 2×2. With a 6 mm unprintable margin and 5 mm overlap, one Letter sheet cannot cover a full Letter page.
Which size should I pick?
- 11 × 17 in / A3: notices and small art. Many home printers can't print this size, so tile it. On portrait Letter with margins and overlap it takes 4 sheets (see the table). Landscape Letter can take fewer.
- 18 × 24 in / A2: classroom and event posters.
- 24 × 36 in / A1: room posters and presentations.
- 27 × 40 in: the classic movie one-sheet size.
A series ratio
Every A size has a 1 : √2 aspect ratio, and each size is half of the one above it (A1 is two A2 sheets). That is why an A2 poster tiles neatly onto four A4 sheets if you ignore printer margins. With margins you need a little overlap or more sheets.
Ready to print? Open the poster tiler, or work out pages for a custom size with the pages calculator.