Poster Sizes

Any street picture is incomplete without the presence of posters in the background. Posters make themselves at home on the walls of railway stations, metros and dark alleys. We are used to seeing posters in varying sizes, right from a small one announcing a yard sale in the neighborhood to a large billboard sized, that welcomes a presidential candidate. Posters are very much a part of promotional and advertising techniques. An eye-catching poster intrigues the interest of the onlookers and thus, serves the purpose of advertising. However, you cannot simply put up a poster of any size, as you also need to know what are the sizes that can work for you.

Choosing Right Poster Sizes

The size of the poster greatly depends upon the purpose you are using it for. For instance, you cannot put up a billboard sized poster for your missing cat. Also, the number of viewers you expect to look at the poster also decide its size. If you want to do billboard advertising and target a large crowd of people on a busy street, then you must have a large poster that can be viewed by everyone around. If you plan to hang a poster by a tree or put it up on a community bulletin board outside a church, you can go for small posters. Your budget also determines the size of the poster you can afford. For this, you need to know how much printing service providers charge for a particular poster size. Shop around a little to find the best deals in your area. Also consider online printing service providers if they offer cheap rates for printing the desired poster size.

Typical Poster Sizes

They can be either common or standard poster measurements. Movie posters also come under typical posters.

Standard Poster Sizes
Standard posters are available in three sizes small, medium and large. The dimensions for the small-sized standard posters are 11 x 17". This size is slightly bigger than an average legal paper which is available in size 8.5 x 14". Although small, these posters are still beyond the scope of printing of an average desktop printer. They are pretty inexpensive and mostly used for indoor purposes. They are ideal for putting up on bulletin boards of community halls etc. They are most effective when you use limited text, so that message or announcement is clear.

The next size under standard poster size is medium, with a dimension of 18 x 24". With large graphics and a single text headline, this type of poster is more suitable for indoor purpose. The celebrity pictures you put up on your walls come in this standard size.

The standard sized large poster comes in dimensions 24 x 36" or 27 x 39". This size is perfect for outdoor purpose where it can be seen by a large number of people. If you are putting it up on a busy street with heavy traffic, make sure your text is large enough to be read from a moving car. People are unlikely to stop by and read your poster while on a crowded street.

Common Poster Sizes
You need not always have to adhere to the standard poster measurements. If you are making hand made posters, it would make sense to get them done in whatever available paper size. For low-budget homemade projects, the common sizes of poster are 8.5 x 11" or 8.5 x 14". This is about the same size as an average letter paper or a longer legal paper. The entire idea of common sizes for posters is to get a standard size customized as per your needs and budget.

Movie Poster Sizes
Movie posters are often expressed in 'sheets' where one sheet equals to 27 x 41". Posters are also available in half sheet or 22 x 28". It is also common to find movie posters in sizes six sheet (81 x 81"), three sheet (41 x 81"), and banner sized (81 x 24"). Movie posters in the form of lobby cards are available in sizes 11 x 14". The large billboard sized poster comes in dimensions 106 x 234". Besides, mini window (11 x 14"), insert (14 x 36") and lenticular (27 x 41") are some other movie poster sizes.

This was all about the different poster sizes, used for various promotional purposes. Take your pick according to your budget and purpose.