Posters are promotional tools that you can use to announce events, products, and services. But thanks to their versatility, you can also turn them into wall art, election campaign materials, and learning tools for students.

In this article, we explain the standard poster sizes and their corresponding uses to help you pick the right one based on your design, location (outdoor vs. indoor), goals, and other relevant factors.

Extra-Small Posters (11" x 17")

This poster size, which is also referred to as tabloid or ledger, doesn’t take up much space. It’s the popular choice in community spaces like bulletin boards.

These posters are often used to announce local events and activities, remind residents about homeowner policies, and post company schedules and school circulars.

When designing posters of this size, it’s highly recommended to stick to one message complemented by simple graphics.

Additionally, use enough white space to help readers concentrate on the text. A good rule of thumb is to aim for a text-to-white-space ratio between 30% and 50%.

Small Posters (16” x 20”)

If you want to display your artwork or hang photos on walls, 16” x 20” is the perfect poster size.

This dimension is commonly used for displaying restaurant menus and announcing local sports events and community activities.

For small posters that are text-laden (e.g., restaurant menus), you may want to stick to Serif fonts, such as Palatino, Garamond, Times New Roman, and Baskerville.

Serif fonts offer excellent legibility in printed materials because they guide the reader’s eye along the line of text.

Medium Posters (18” x 24”, 20” x 30”, and 22” x 28”)

These mid-sized posters are typically seen in farmers’ markets, festivals, and storefronts. They are also the popular size for movie and concert promotions and other printed marketing materials.

Many restaurants and retailers also include medium-sized posters in their storefront design.

Although this poster size gives you room to add a bit more information, avoid using too many colors, fonts, and images that may confuse the viewers. Stick to a few elements so they can focus on the message.

Also, remember to use a font size that’s at least 36 pt., which is about ½" in height, to make it easy to read.

Large Posters (24” x 36”)

Also referred to as Architectural D or Super A1, these posters are frequently used in outdoor locations. Additionally, they are excellent for big events like concerts, conferences, trade shows, and conventions because they can be seen from 50 meters away.

Retailers also prefer this poster size when announcing a major sale or a new store branch.

Avid gamers, movie fans, and photography enthusiasts also prefer using large posters to display their collections and artwork.

When designing oversized posters, make sure their central point is at eye level.

How to Choose the Right Poster Size

These factors determine the ideal poster size:

• Purpose of the poster. Do you want it to stand out and cut through the visual noise, or do you only need to remind readers about company or school policies? Once you determine your objective, it becomes easier to decide which size suits you best.


• Viewing distance. You may want to consider this guideline when deciding for the appropriate poster size and font size: Make the text at least one inch (or 72 pt.) tall for every 10 feet of viewing distance.


• Indoor vs. outdoor setting. If you need posters that you’ll display in elevators or stick to bulletin boards, opt for smaller ones. By contrast, choose bigger posters for outdoor venues and high-traffic areas.


• Amount of text and details in the design. The more information you need to convey to the reader, the larger you’ll want to go.

What to Include in Your Posters

No matter which poster size you choose for your design, these best practices will ensure that your printed material is effective and memorable.

• Catchy title. Ideally, the title should not exceed two lines of text. For larger posters, use a font size that is at least 48 pt. (or bigger) to make it visible from a distance.


• Readable text. For text-laden posters, the content body must be organized into sections and should not be more than 1,000 words.


• Excellent graphics. Choose high-resolution images that are large enough to be visible from at least 5-feet distance.


• White space. Ideally, 30%-50% of the design is allotted to white space to promote excellent readability and a “breathing room” to guide the readers’ eyes.


• Color contrast. It’s particularly important to consider the color difference between the text and the background to promote excellent readability. On the other hand, avoid low-contrast colors (e.g., light yellow text and white background) because they make it hard for people to understand the message.

Conclusion

Now that you know the most common poster sizes and their applications, you can check out 48HourPrint’s intuitive online design tool and a large collection of free templates, which come with proper bleed and margins to ensure accurate prints.