Standard Movie Poster Sizes and How to Print Your Own
"The movie poster has its own set of standard sizes, and the 27 by 40 inch one-sheet rules them all. Here is every common size, what it is used for, and how to print a custom movie poster that hangs like the real thing."
"The standard movie poster is the one-sheet at 27 by 40 inches, the size you see in theater lobbies and frames. Older and international one-sheets ran 27 by 41, half-sheets are 22 by 28, and larger bus-stop and bus-shelter posters go bigger. For a custom movie poster, design at 27 by 40 with bleed and print it on large-format poster stock."
Start here
"Movie poster sizes in one paragraph"
The standard movie poster is the one-sheet at 27 by 40 inches, or 68.6 by 101.6 cm. That is the size in theater frames, the size most reproductions use, and the size to design to unless you are matching an original. Vintage and international one-sheets ran 27 by 41, the half-sheet is a horizontal 22 by 28, and outdoor formats scale up from there. None of those match the 18 by 24 and 24 by 36 poster sizes sold in frame shops, so check the frame before you print. To print a custom movie poster, design at your chosen standard size with bleed and full-resolution art, then print it large-format so it hangs like a real release poster.
The one-sheet: 27 by 40 inches
When people say movie poster, they almost always mean the one-sheet: 27 by 40 inches. It is the vertical poster in every theater lobby, the size studios ship to cinemas, and the reason 27 by 40 frames are sold everywhere. If you want a poster that instantly reads as a real film release, this is the size to design to.
There is one historical wrinkle. Before the modern standard settled, US one-sheets and many international posters were printed at 27 by 41 inches, an inch taller. It matters only in two cases: if you are framing a genuine vintage original, measure it rather than trusting a modern frame, and if you are recreating a poster from that era, match 27 by 41 for authenticity. For a brand-new poster, stick with 27 by 40. You can print either on our large-format posters.
Half-sheets, inserts, and outdoor sizes
The one-sheet has a whole family around it. The half-sheet at 22 by 28 inches is horizontal, a lobby-card format used for secondary displays and promotions. The insert at 14 by 36 inches is a tall, narrow poster once printed on heavier card for durability. Both are useful when a vertical one-sheet does not fit the space.
Going the other direction, outdoor formats scale up fast: bus-shelter posters run around 48 by 68 inches, and transit and billboard placements go larger still for street-level impact. These bigger sizes are where large-format printing earns its keep. Whatever size you land on, the general dimension rules in our complete poster size guide and the large-format poster size guide back this up with the full charts.
How to design a movie poster that hangs right
A movie poster has a recognizable structure, and following it makes a custom piece feel legitimate. A strong hero image carries the top and middle, the title sits bold and readable from across a room, and a credit block runs in that familiar condensed type along the bottom. Keep the title and any key text inside a safe margin so nothing gets clipped when the poster is trimmed.
Set the file up at final size with 0.125 inch bleed on every edge and work at 300 DPI, because a poster that looks crisp on screen can fall apart when it prints at 27 by 40. If you want the full layout method, our guide on how to design a poster in 8 steps walks it start to finish, and you can build yours in the online designer or from a template.
Stock, mounting, and framing
How a poster is finished decides how long it lasts and how it reads on a wall. Matte stock is the safe choice for a poster under lights, because it kills glare and looks like a real theatrical print. Gloss makes color leap but can reflect. If the poster is going up for good, consider a mounted poster on rigid board so it stays flat, or a framed poster that arrives wall-ready.
Price scales with size, stock, finishing, and quantity, and updates live as you choose. For a run of tour or festival posters, the per-unit price drops as the quantity climbs. Order free paper samples to feel matte against gloss, or browse the standard printing collection for the full poster range before you print.
Printing your custom movie poster
With size, design, and finish settled, printing is straightforward. Export a flattened, press-ready PDF at your chosen standard size with bleed included, upload it, and pick your stock and finishing on the large-format posters page. Want it bigger than a one-sheet for a lobby or storefront, large-format handles that directly as long as your art holds up at scale.
Whether it is a one-off for a film, a band tour run, or a festival lineup, 4OVER4 prints it in-house and ships from Queens, New York, so your custom movie poster hangs like the real thing.
Film sizes vs frame-shop sizes
Movie poster sizes versus standard poster sizes
The one-sheet is not a standard poster size, and that single fact causes most of the confusion. 27 by 40 inches belongs to film. The poster sizes sold in frame shops and print catalogs are 11 by 17, 18 by 24, 24 by 36 and 36 by 48. The closest standard size to a one-sheet is 24 by 36, three inches narrower and four inches shorter, which is why a real one-sheet will not lie in a 24 by 36 frame and why a 24 by 36 print floats inside a 27 by 40 one. Match the frame first, then design to it exactly.
| Size | Inches | Centimeters | Category | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini poster | 11 x 17 | 27.9 x 43.2 | Standard | Counter cards, window bills, indoor promo |
| Small poster | 18 x 24 | 45.7 x 61 | Standard | Retail, events, gig and tour posters |
| Wall poster | 24 x 36 | 61 x 91.4 | Standard | The most ordered poster size of all |
| Half-sheet | 22 x 28 | 55.9 x 71.1 | Movie | Horizontal lobby and secondary display |
| One-sheet (modern) | 27 x 40 | 68.6 x 101.6 | Movie | Theatrical standard, fits 27 x 40 frames |
| One-sheet (vintage) | 27 x 41 | 68.6 x 104.1 | Movie | Older US and many international originals |
| Large poster | 36 x 48 | 91.4 x 121.9 | Standard | Lobby walls, trade show backdrops |
| Subway | 40 x 60 | 101.6 x 152.4 | Outdoor | Station and lobby scale, read across a room |
| Bus shelter | 47 x 68 | 119.4 x 172.7 | Outdoor | Street-level vertical advertising |
The bus shelter is the one slot that moves. The spec table on this page lists it at 48 by 68 inches and the international housing takes 47 by 68, so measure the frame rather than trusting any chart. Every other size above is fixed.
Which one you print comes down to the wall it is going on. For a true theatrical look, print the 27 by 40 one-sheet on large format poster stock. For a hallway or an office where it will get knocked, a 24 by 36 mounted poster stays flat on its board instead of curling at the corners. For something that has to look finished the day it arrives, an 18 by 24 framed poster comes ready to hang. And if you are shopping general formats rather than film formats, the guides on standard poster sizes and standard poster sizes in inches cover the full range.
Wally sizes the one-sheet
27 by 40 is the size to know
Wally keeps the poster world simple: the one-sheet at 27 by 40 inches is the standard, the size theater frames are built for. Older and international posters ran 27 by 41, so measure a vintage original before you frame it. For a new custom poster, design at 27 by 40 with bleed and full-resolution art, and 4OVER4 prints it large-format so it hangs like a real release.
Print a custom movie poster →Quick reference
"Standard movie poster sizes, at a glance"
"These are the sizes the film industry standardized on. Design to the exact one you need before you start."
| "Format" | "Size" | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| One-sheet (modern) | 27 x 40 in | The standard theatrical poster; fits common 27 x 40 frames. |
| One-sheet (vintage) | 27 x 41 in | Older US and many international posters; an inch taller. |
| Half-sheet | 22 x 28 in | Horizontal lobby format for secondary displays. |
| Insert | 14 x 36 in | Tall, narrow poster once printed on heavier card. |
| Bus shelter | 48 x 68 in | Large vertical outdoor format for street-level ads. |
| Mini poster (standard) | 11 x 17 in | Smallest of the standard poster sizes; counters and windows. |
| Small poster (standard) | 18 x 24 in | Retail and event size, well under one-sheet scale. |
| Wall poster (standard) | 24 x 36 in | The most ordered poster size and the closest standard size to a one-sheet. |
| Subway (oversized) | 40 x 60 in | Station and lobby scale for a poster read across a room. |
| Bleed | 0.125 in past trim | Keeps edge art clean when the poster is cut to size. |
Step by step
"How to print a custom movie poster in 6 steps"
- Pick your standard sizeFor a true movie-poster look, start at the 27 by 40 one-sheet. Match a vintage 27 by 41 only if you are reproducing an older piece.
- Set up the document with bleedBuild the file at final size with 0.125 inch bleed on every edge and pull a safe margin in so no title or credit gets trimmed.
- Work at 300 DPILarge posters still need full-resolution art at final size. Check images at 100 percent so nothing goes soft when it prints big.
- Design the poster layoutHero image up top, title strong, and a credit block along the bottom, the classic one-sheet structure.
- Choose stock and finishMatte reads well under lights and resists glare; gloss makes color pop. Pick mounting or framing if it is going on a wall for good.
- Export and print large-formatFlatten to a press-ready PDF at final size with bleed, then print it as a large-format poster.
Specs and pricing
"Poster specs and live pricing"
"Once you have picked a size, the rest is stock, finish, and finishing. Here are the live specs and price-per-unit for large-format posters at 4OVER4, straight from the configurator."
| Quantity | Price Per Unit | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25.00 | $25.00 |
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Common Questions
"Common questions about movie poster sizes"
What is the standard movie poster size?
The standard movie poster is the one-sheet at 27 by 40 inches. It is the size you see framed in theater lobbies and the format most posters and reproductions are printed to, which is why 27 by 40 frames are so widely sold. Before this modern standard settled in, US one-sheets and many international posters were printed at 27 by 41 inches, an inch taller, so if you are framing an older original, measure it rather than assuming. For a new custom poster, 27 by 40 is the size to design to.
How do I choose the right movie poster size?
Choose by where it will hang and whether it needs to fit an existing frame. If you want the classic theatrical look or plan to drop it into a standard 27 by 40 frame, use the modern one-sheet. If you are recreating a vintage release, match the 27 by 41 size of the era. For a horizontal display or a lobby-card feel, the 22 by 28 half-sheet works, and for outdoor or oversized impact you can scale up to bus-shelter dimensions. Match the size to the frame and the space first, then design to it exactly.
What does a custom movie poster cost and how are prices set?
Custom poster price scales with the print size, the stock and finish, whether you add mounting or framing, and the quantity. A single large-format one-sheet on poster stock is affordable, and the unit price drops as you print more, so a run for a film festival or a band tour costs less per piece. Mounting and framing add to the total but make the poster wall-ready. You set the size, stock, and finishing in the configurator and the price updates live as you go.
What sizes, stocks and finishes are available for movie posters?
4OVER4 prints large-format posters at the standard movie sizes and any custom dimensions you need, on poster stocks in matte for glare-free viewing under lights and gloss for punchy color. You can print flat, mount the poster to a rigid board, or order it framed for a finished wall piece. Specialty options like fabric and canvas exist for a different texture. The live specs panel on this page shows the current sizes, stocks, and finishing options with pricing from the configurator.
How long does a movie poster take to print and ship?
Turnaround depends on the size, the stock, whether you add mounting or framing, and the quantity, and the configurator shows the production time for your exact poster before checkout. 4OVER4 prints large-format in-house and ships from Queens, New York. Flat posters print faster than mounted or framed pieces, which need extra finishing time, so if you have a premiere or event date, check the estimated ship date in the cart and choose a faster option if needed.
Can I print a poster larger than a one-sheet?
Yes. Large-format printing goes well beyond the 27 by 40 one-sheet, up to bus-shelter and banner-scale sizes, so you can make a lobby or storefront statement. The key is starting from high-resolution art, because a poster that looks fine small can go soft when it is enlarged. Design at or near final size at 300 DPI, or use vector art and large source images, and the poster will stay crisp even at oversized dimensions. Our large-format posters handle these bigger sizes directly.
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Pick your standard size, design at 27 by 40 with bleed, and print a large-format poster that comes back sharp. Adjust every option and watch your price update live.
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