Poster size guide

When it comes to poster and banner printing, there are hundreds of options to choose from. But where do you start and how do you know what size is right for you?

To help you sort through sizes and find a poster size that’s right for your needs, check out our quick guide below…

Large printed poster sizes

Printed posters come in a variety of sizes. You can even request your own special size when it comes to printing for specialist needs.

You’ll even find that in certain industries, certain sizes are used more often – such as movie posters coming in their own standard size.

There’s no right or wrong when it comes to which size is best for you – but generally speaking, most sign holders will be made to accommodate metric paper as a standard. When buying your poster holders, make sure you check the size available.

You’ll know if a sign holder has been designed for metric or imperial sized paper based on whichever has the roundest number.

Here’s a rundown of common sizes split by Imperial and Metric measurements, as well as banner sizes:

Metric (mm) paper size guide and brief history:

Metric sized paper follows an international standard of paper (known in the biz’ as ISO 216) – although not in Canada, the USA, Mexico or the Dominican Republic.

This standard classifies paper into two series – A and B.

Metric paper sizes will mostly all have the same aspect ratio which allows for the paper size to decrease by a metric size when cut or folded in half widthways (with those halves then following the same mathematical rules).

This explains why when you fold an A4 piece of paper in half, it turns into an A5 piece of paper.

It’s quite neat really if you’ve ever stopped to appreciate the maths that goes into a piece of paper!

Imperial paper size (inches) guide and brief history:

Imperial paper sizes are referred to by a variety of different names to describe the size.

Steeped in heritage, an imperial paper size’s traditional name often come from the watermarks that were originally used on the paper, as well as often alluding to their use or size.

More quirky size names included Elephant and Princess – although an elephant was only marginally bigger than a princess (Princess 28 x 21.5”, Elephant 28 x 23”).

Their names, now often simplified refer to their simplified size in terms of a sheet. For example, ‘1 sheet’ is also often referred to as a ‘Double Crown’.

 

Pop up Banner widths:

Banners are often used as freestanding skyscraper style poster displays in cinemas, hotels, as well as at exhibitions and events.

Far from a ‘one size fits all’, there are a wide range of sizes available when it comes to pop up banners:
 

Products that can display printed posters:

Whether you’re a fan of metric or imperial sized paper, there are many different types of display holders that can comfortably show off your posters.

Always check the product you’re ordering for compatibility with sizes.

As a quick guide, metric sized poster holders will often refer to the size with their A number, while imperial sized products will refer to the exact measurements as the names are less common.

Here’s a rough guide to the types of sign holder you can buy along with the size of paper that it can display neatly.