Viewing distance sets the type size. As a rough rule, each metre of distance calls for about 2.5 centimetres of letter height; a headline read from ten metres needs to be around 25 centimetres tall. Skipping this calculation produces a poster that looks right on the desk and unreadable on the wall.
The number of messages is inversely proportional to distance. An event poster read up close can carry date, venue, time and ticket details; on a poster seen from a passing car, anything beyond one sentence and one image becomes noise.
Outdoors, material durability matters as much as design. On a sun-facing surface standard inks fade within months; UV-resistant printing and lamination extend the life of the work considerably.
The material depends on where the poster will hang. Coated paper is enough indoors, while outdoor boards use blueback stock whose blue coating stops the previous poster underneath from showing through the new print. For applications meant to stay up a long time, PVC replaces paper.
The mounting method shapes the design too. A poster hung with top and bottom battens needs those strips left clear; one going into a frame has to account for the lip that overlaps the edge. With wet paste the paper expands slightly, so lines set very close to the edge can end up looking misaligned.
Technical options
- Common sizes
- A3, A2, A1, A0 and custom
- Indoor
- 150–200gsm coated, matt or gloss
- Outdoor
- UV-resistant print, vinyl, lamination
- Printing
- Digital (short run), offset (high volume)
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Frequently asked
What resolution does a poster need?
For work viewed close up, 300 dpi is standard. On large formats seen from a distance, 150 dpi can be enough; what matters is perceived sharpness at the viewing distance, not the pixel count itself.
Can one design print at both A3 and A0?
Scaling up directly rarely works, because the balance between text and image shifts with size. Point sizes and spacing need adjusting for each format.
How long does an outdoor poster last?
It varies with material, sun exposure and weather. A laminated UV print holds its colour noticeably longer than an unlaminated one.
Which poster sizes are common?
A3 and A2 are common indoors, with A1 and A0 used for walls and boards. Alongside these, 50 × 70 and 70 × 100 cm are widespread, since ready-made frames and boards are easier to find in those sizes.
How many colours should a poster use?
On a poster read from a distance, the contrast between background and text matters more than the number of colours. Light text on a dark ground, or the reverse, improves legibility at range, while similar tones placed together dissolve the text into the background.
Can posters be printed at short notice?
On a plain single-pass print a large format takes no longer than a small one; the machine runs at the same speed. What extends the time is what comes after: lamination, eyeleting or mounting onto board can each add a day. When the event date is fixed, planning backwards from it is the safest route.
Are posters folded for shipping?
They are not. A fold leaves a permanent crease, and at large sizes that crease reads even from a distance, so work travels rolled. Sending straight to a venue is possible; the only condition is someone at the delivery address who can receive the job before the event.
Is a poster proofed at full size?
Work usually proceeds from a reduced print, though legibility cannot be judged on one. Taking a full-size section from a corner of the artwork gives a more reliable answer: whether the type reads from its intended distance can only be seen at its own scale.
Does printing a single poster make sense?
It does, because set-up costs here are close to nil: on wide-format printing the machine is prepared the same way for one sheet as for many. The unit price therefore does not fall sharply with quantity; what saving there is comes more from buying material in bulk.