◆ In short
The most requested format at European conferences is portrait A0: 84.1 × 118.9 cm. A1 (59.4 × 84.1 cm) is used when panels are small or when travelling light. But the size is not a choice: the conference rules impose it, because display panels are fixed. Before laying out, find the maximum size and the orientation in the rules, and keep 2 cm of clear margin on every side. If you are flying, consider printing on synthetic canvas: it folds into a suitcase.
The real measurements
The A series halves and doubles while keeping the same proportions, so an A1 is exactly half an A0. These are the measurements you actually need when setting up your document.
These are the sizes we print every week at our shop in Rome's Prati district: A0 and A1 come off the same plotter.
A0
84.1 × 118.9 cmThe standard at international conferences, portrait in the vast majority of cases. Big enough to hold three columns of content and to be seen from across a crowded room.
A1
59.4 × 84.1 cmHalf an A0. Requested when panels are small or when a conference hosts many posters. Cheaper and easier to carry, but it forces you to cut content: two columns, not three.
A2
42 × 59.4 cmRare at conferences, common for department days and internal sessions. At this size the text must be minimal, because it is read close up.
Non-standard sizes
they happenSome conferences state their own measurements, for example 90 × 120 cm or 100 × 140 cm. These are not A-series sizes: if you set up A0 and then scale it, the margins will not work out. Set the exact size given.
How to read the conference rules
This is the step almost everyone skips, and the only one that can force a reprint. In the instructions for presenters, usually called author guidelines or poster instructions, look for three precise things.
The maximum size. Watch how it is expressed: some conferences give width by height, others height by width. If the rules say "120 × 90 cm" without specifying, deduce the orientation from context or ask the organisers. A poster that overshoots by even two centimetres will not fit the panel.
The orientation. Portrait, landscape or free. In Europe portrait is the norm; at American conferences landscape is more frequent.
The mounting system. Velcro, pins, magnets or clips change the margin you must leave clear at the top. If it is pins, the first few centimetres will be punctured: do not put your title there.
Paper or synthetic canvas: how to decide
This is the question we get most often, and the answer depends almost entirely on how you travel. We print both: matte photo paper if you are staying in town, synthetic canvas if you are flying.
Paper
- ✓Better colour rendering and sharpness, especially on dense charts
- ✓Cheaper than synthetic canvas at the same size
- ✓Sits perfectly flat on the panel, with no creases
- ✓Can be printed and collected the same day
- –Has to be rolled: on a plane a drawing tube is bulky and does not always pass as hand luggage
- –Ruined by rain or by one accidental fold
- –Tends to curl on the panel if fixed only at the top
Best for
Conferences in Italy or reachable by car or train, where carrying a roll is not a problem.
Synthetic canvas
- ✓Folds into a suitcase: no roll to carry
- ✓Does not tear and is not afraid of rain
- ✓Very light and reusable across several conferences
- –Suitcase creases show for a few hours, until the canvas relaxes
- –Costs more than paper
- –Very fine detail renders slightly less crisply
Best for
Conferences abroad and anywhere you fly. The choice of people who present several times a year.
Getting it there in one piece
A well-printed poster ruined in transit is avoidable waste. If it is on paper, roll it loosely and never fold it. If you have a rigid drawing tube, use it: soft ones get crushed in the overhead locker. If you are flying, check your airline's hand-luggage dimensions first, because an A0 tube often exceeds the limit and ends up in the hold, where it gets crushed.
If it is on synthetic canvas, fold it in four or eight and pack it on top of your clothes. On arrival, hanging it the evening before removes almost every crease; if you are short of time, a warm iron with no steam on the reverse clears them in a minute.
A spare A4 copy in your folder, or even just the PDF on your phone, is the cheapest insurance there is: if the poster does not arrive, you still have something to show during the session.
Frequently asked questions
How big is an A0 poster?
84.1 × 118.9 centimetres, that is 841 × 1189 millimetres. It is the most requested format at European conferences, almost always portrait. An A1 is exactly half: 59.4 × 84.1 cm. It is also the size we print most often: at GUUG, in Rome's Prati district, an A0 comes off the plotter in about half an hour, plus whatever jobs are ahead of it.
Should the poster be portrait or landscape?
The conference rules decide, because display panels have a fixed orientation: a landscape poster on a portrait panel does not fit and there is no fixing it on site. Portrait is the European standard; landscape is more frequent at American conferences.
How much margin should I leave at the edges?
At least 2 centimetres clear on every side, with no text or logos. They are needed for trimming and for the panel mounting: velcro, clips or pins always take up a few centimetres, and with pins the top few centimetres get punctured.
Can I print A0 from a PowerPoint slide?
Yes, but set the slide size to the final size before laying out, via Design → Slide Size → Custom. If you enter 84.1 × 118.9 cm and PowerPoint warns it exceeds the maximum, set exactly half (42 × 59.4 cm) and tell us to print at 200%: the result is identical.
Paper or synthetic canvas for a conference abroad?
If you are flying, synthetic canvas: it folds into a suitcase, while a drawing tube often exceeds hand-luggage limits. If you go by car or train, paper renders slightly better on dense charts and costs less. We print both on the same plotter: you choose when you send us the file.
How long does printing a scientific poster take?
The printing itself takes minutes. The time is spent checking the file and redoing it if the images are low-resolution. In Rome it can be done same-day: see the page on scientific poster printing.
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