Posters · Compared
A0 against 36x48: poster sizes compared
A0 is 841 by 1189 millimetres, defined by the ISO 216 paper series and used almost everywhere outside North America. 36 by 48 inches is 914 by 1219 millimetres, the common North American conference board. They are close enough to look similar and different enough that a file made for one is trimmed or padded on the other.
The two sizes differ by about three centimetres in each direction. That is small enough to ignore until the day your board is trimmed and the trimming takes your reference list with it.
Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder
3 min read · Published
| Size | Millimetres | Inches | Where it is expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| A0 portrait | 841 x 1189 | 33.1 x 46.8 | Europe, Australia, most of Asia |
| A0 landscape | 1189 x 841 | 46.8 x 33.1 | Same, where the stand is wide |
| 36 x 48 portrait | 914 x 1219 | 36 x 48 | North America |
| 48 x 36 landscape | 1219 x 914 | 48 x 36 | North America, wide stands |
Why the aspect ratios are not the same
A0 has the ratio of the whole ISO series, one to the square root of two, which is about 1.414. Thirty six by forty eight is a ratio of 1.333, the same as an old television screen. That means you cannot scale one into the other without either leaving a strip empty or cropping. On a board designed to the edge, that strip is usually where the acknowledgements and references sit.
What the organiser actually specifies
Read the call for abstracts rather than assuming. Many conferences state a maximum board size rather than a paper size, and the board is often larger than the poster it holds. If the specification says a maximum of 4 feet by 4 feet, a 36 by 48 portrait fits and so does A0. If it names A0 and you bring 36 by 48, you may be over on both dimensions.
Designing so it survives either
Keep a margin of at least three centimetres of quiet space inside every edge, with nothing but background in it. A board designed that way can be trimmed to the other size, or mounted on a slightly different board, without losing content. It also reads better, because content pressed to the edge of a poster looks cramped from a distance.
Questions people ask
Can I just scale my A0 poster to 36 by 48?
Not cleanly, because the aspect ratios differ. Scaling to fit the width leaves a band empty at the bottom; scaling to fill crops the sides. Both are fixable if you designed with a generous margin, and neither is if your content runs to the edges.
Is A0 landscape or portrait more common?
It depends on the venue's stands. Portrait is the safer default for a text heavy study because a narrow column reads well; landscape suits a wide figure or a four column reading order. When the call does not say, asking the organiser which way the stands are mounted is a two line email that saves a reprint.
What about A1 or half size?
A1 is half of A0 and turns up at smaller meetings and internal showcases. The same design usually survives the reduction as long as the body text was generous to begin with, because A1 at the same type size is simply less content per board, not smaller type.
Does the paper size change the resolution I need?
No. What matters is pixels per inch at the final printed size, and that is the same argument at any board size. A larger board at the same density simply needs more pixels in total.
Should I print portrait if the stand is landscape?
No. A portrait board on a landscape stand wastes half the stand and often overhangs the top. If you are travelling to a venue whose stands you cannot confirm, the safer choice is the orientation the call specifies, and if it specifies neither, ask.
Make one with posters
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Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .