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The A-series finally makes sense when you see what each size is actually for. Here is the whole family, with real-world examples from jobs we print.
The A-series has a beautiful secret: every size is exactly half the one above it. Fold an A0 in half and you get A1, fold again for A2, and so on down to tickets and flyers. Here is what each size is actually for, with prices where we print them in-house.
| Size | Dimensions | What it is really for |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 210 x 297mm | Notices, menus, internal posters. The size of office paper. Fine close-up, invisible across a room. |
| A3 | 297 x 420mm | The workhorse. Shop windows, community boards, cafe walls. Ours are full colour from £4, same day. |
| A2 | 420 x 594mm | Reads from 3 to 4 metres. Event posters, market stalls, estate agent windows. |
| A1 | 594 x 841mm | The statement size. Wedding seating plans (ours are £55), exhibition graphics, big promos. |
| A0 | 841 x 1189mm | Stops foot traffic. Hoardings, event entrances, academic conference posters. |
How far away is the reader? Arm's length: A4 or A3. Across a pavement: A2. Across a road: A1 or A0. Text should roughly double in size every time the viewing distance doubles.
Where is it physically going? Measure the space first. The most common poster mistake we see is a beautiful A1 design for an A3-sized gap in a shop window.
How long does it need to last? A week in a dry window: standard poster paper. Months, or anywhere damp: ask us about heavyweight stock, lamination or printing on rigid foamex board instead.
A photo that looks fine at A4 can fall apart at A1. Before any large poster prints, we check your file at full size and tell you what it can honestly hold. The check is free, and it has saved a lot of event posters.
A3 posters from £4, same day before 12pm. Bigger sizes quoted the same day.