36x48 poster
36x48 inches is 91.4 x 121.9 cm and is not A0. Pick portrait or landscape and a dpi to see the pixels, and the exact gap to A0.
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How to use the 36x48 poster tool
- Pick an orientation. Portrait is 36 in wide by 48 in tall, landscape is 48 wide by 36 tall. Portrait is the default.
- Enter the print resolution in dpi. The default is 150. The form takes 10 to 2400, and under 100 or over 600 shows a warning.
- Enter the width of the smaller layout page you draw on, in inches or cm. The default is 13.33 in. Zero or less is an error.
- Enter the text size in points. The default is 24 pt. The form takes 1 to 1000 pt.
- Read the size in inches, cm and mm, then the pixels needed at your dpi with the megapixels. A second table shows 100, 150, 200 and 300 dpi.
- Read the A4 sheet count, area, aspect ratio, and the nearest size in the other system.
- Read the scale from your layout page and the printed text size.
- If the form shows an error, check that every entry is a number inside the ranges above.
The presets are portrait at 150 dpi, landscape at 300 dpi, a 10 in layout page, a 25.4 cm layout page and 18 pt on a 10 in page. Start from one, then change one value at a time to see how each result moves. The comparison table and the board table further down show the other sizes and the nine published rules.
What size is a 36x48 poster?
A 36x48 poster measures 36 in by 48 in, which is 91.4 x 121.9 cm. Since 1 in is exactly 25.4 mm (NIST SP 811), that is 914.4 x 1219.2 mm. The name covers two orientations: 36 wide by 48 tall in portrait, and 48 wide by 36 tall in landscape. The aspect ratio is 4:3 in either orientation.
This size is not an ISO size. The ISO 216 sizes are A0 at 841 x 1189 mm, A1 at 594 x 841 mm, A2 at 420 x 594 mm and A4 at 210 x 297 mm. They share a ratio of 1 : 1.414, and each one is the previous one cut in half. The comparison table shows that A0 is 73.4 mm narrower and 30.2 mm shorter than 36x48, and that A0 is 92 % of 36x48 in its tightest direction. The area of 36x48 is 1728 in2, or 1.115 m2, or 12 ft2, which is about 17.9 times the area of A4.
How many pixels does a 36x48 poster need?
Pixels are found by multiplying each inch dimension by the dpi and rounding the result. At 150 dpi, the default, 36 x 48 in gives 5,400 x 7,200 px, or about 38.9 megapixels. At 100 dpi the figure is 3,600 x 4,800. At 200 dpi it is 7,200 x 9,600, and at 300 dpi it is 10,800 x 14,400. Each side scales in direct proportion to the dpi, so doubling the dpi doubles both sides.
The printed text size depends on the scale. The scale is the poster width divided by the layout page width. A 36 in poster drawn on a 10 in layout page has a scale of 3.6, so 24 pt text on the page prints at 86.4 pt. The letter height in mm is points / 72 x 25.4, which gives 30.5 mm for 86.4 pt.
Sources do not agree on the orientation or the limits for this size. IEEE (36 high x 48 wide) and the MiALA board (36 tall x 48 wide) describe landscape. The ICPRP/IIUM poster (95 x 120 cm, up to 150 cm high) and the ISSBD recommendation (90 x 150 cm) are both portrait but differ, so both are listed side by side rather than averaged. Berkeley CTML recommends 30 x 40 in but allows up to 42 x 42 in, the HFES board space is 42 x 42 in, and the postpartum page allows 48 x 48 in. The page does not say that any size is right for an event. The board table only repeats what each event page published, and those rules change, so read the current guide for your own event. The HFES sheet also writes 42 in as “106.68 cm” once and “160.68 cm” elsewhere, and the tool uses 42 in only.
Worked examples
| Input | Result |
|---|---|
| portrait, 150 dpi, layout page 13.33 in wide | 5,400 × 7,200 px; text scale ×2.7 |
| landscape, 300 dpi, layout page 13.33 in wide | 14,400 × 10,800 px; text scale ×3.6 |
| portrait, 150 dpi, layout page 10 in wide | 5,400 × 7,200 px; text scale ×3.6 |
Calculated by the tool above; open it with the same values to see each step.
Frequently asked questions
Is 36x48 a portrait or landscape size?
Both. The name covers 36 wide by 48 tall and 48 wide by 36 tall. Use the portrait/landscape select to switch between them.
Why do event pages describe 36x48 differently?
Some pages, such as IEEE and MiALA, describe landscape, while others list portrait sizes. These sources differ, so the tool shows them side by side and does not average them.
How many A4 sheets fit on a 36x48 poster?
The tool gives about 17.9, counted by area. A0, A1 and A2 have exact counts of 16, 8 and 4 A4 sheets, but 36x48 is not an ISO size.
Is 36x48 the same as A0?
No. A0 is 73.4 mm narrower and 30.2 mm shorter than 36x48. In its tightest direction, A0 is 92 % of 36x48.
What happens if my layout page is wider than the poster?
The scale falls below 1, and the form shows a warning. The scale is the poster width divided by the layout page width, so a layout page wider than the poster gives a scale under 1.
Does the tool check my poster against a journal’s rules?
No. The results are calculated from the numbers you enter, and the board table only repeats what each event page published. Publisher specifications change, so check the current author guide before you submit.
Related tools
- A0 poster size: use it when your target is A0 and you want its full size details to set against 36x48.
- A1 poster size: use it when you are working with A1 and want its own size and sheet count.
- A2 poster size: use it when you are working with A2 and want its own size and sheet count.
- Conference poster size: use it when you are comparing the size limits that different conferences publish.
- Poster dimensions: use it when you want to check dimensions in inches, cm and mm for a size other than 36x48.
- Poster Font Size Calculator: use it when you want to work out text size on a poster by itself.
- Research poster template: use it when you are laying out a research poster and want a starting structure.
- Scientific poster size: use it when you are checking poster sizes for a scientific meeting or journal.