Poster Templates
Free, print-ready templates for every size and option of our posters, with the bleed, trim and safe area marked, and the folds, cut lines and page labels where your product has them.
About these templates
We have poster templates for A3 (297 x 420mm), A2 (420 x 594mm), A1 (594 x 841mm) and A0 (841 x 1189mm). Each file is the poster plus 3mm of bleed on every side, so an A1 file is 600 x 847mm. Keep text and logos 10mm inside the trim.
The templates are portrait. For a landscape poster, turn the page round: the sizes are the same, just rotated. Every template is a single page, because our posters are printed on one side.
Photos need to be sharp enough for the size you print. On A3 and A2 posters, aim for 300dpi at full size. On A1 and A0, 150dpi at full size is fine, because people read a large poster from further away. If a photo looks soft at 100% zoom on screen, it will look soft on the wall too.
Run backgrounds and photos out to the red bleed edge, so no white line shows after trimming. Download the PDF to use in Illustrator, InDesign or Affinity, or the SVG for Canva or Inkscape. Delete or hide the guide layer before you export, then upload your PDF on the posters page. Our poster sizes guide has every size in mm, cm and inches.
A3 poster (297 x 420mm)
| Trim size | 297 x 420mm |
|---|---|
| Artwork with bleed | 303 x 426mm |
| Bleed | 3mm |
| Safe area | 10mm inside the trim |
| Pages | 1 |
| Formats | PDF, SVG |
The page is 303 x 426mm with 3mm bleed; keep text 10mm inside the trim. Images at 150dpi at full size look sharp at viewing distance; 300dpi for fine detail. Landscape works too: turn the page.
A2 poster (420 x 594mm)
| Trim size | 420 x 594mm |
|---|---|
| Artwork with bleed | 426 x 600mm |
| Bleed | 3mm |
| Safe area | 10mm inside the trim |
| Pages | 1 |
| Formats | PDF, SVG |
The page is 426 x 600mm with 3mm bleed; keep text 10mm inside the trim. Images at 150dpi at full size look sharp at viewing distance; 300dpi for fine detail. Landscape works too: turn the page.
A1 poster (594 x 841mm)
| Trim size | 594 x 841mm |
|---|---|
| Artwork with bleed | 600 x 847mm |
| Bleed | 3mm |
| Safe area | 10mm inside the trim |
| Pages | 1 |
| Formats | PDF, SVG |
The page is 600 x 847mm with 3mm bleed; keep text 10mm inside the trim. Images at 150dpi at full size look sharp at viewing distance; 300dpi for fine detail. Landscape works too: turn the page.
A0 poster (841 x 1189mm)
| Trim size | 841 x 1189mm |
|---|---|
| Artwork with bleed | 847 x 1195mm |
| Bleed | 3mm |
| Safe area | 10mm inside the trim |
| Pages | 1 |
| Formats | PDF, SVG |
The page is 847 x 1195mm with 3mm bleed; keep text 10mm inside the trim. Images at 150dpi at full size look sharp at viewing distance; 300dpi for fine detail. Landscape works too: turn the page.
Sizes for Canva, Word and other apps
The artwork size is the trim size plus the bleed on every side. Use it as the custom size (in millimetres) when you set up a design without our file, and keep text inside the safe area.
| Template | Trim size | Artwork with bleed (custom size) | Bleed | Safe area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A3 poster (297 x 420mm) | 297 x 420mm | 303 x 426mm | 3mm | 10mm inside the trim |
| A2 poster (420 x 594mm) | 420 x 594mm | 426 x 600mm | 3mm | 10mm inside the trim |
| A1 poster (594 x 841mm) | 594 x 841mm | 600 x 847mm | 3mm | 10mm inside the trim |
| A0 poster (841 x 1189mm) | 841 x 1189mm | 847 x 1195mm | 3mm | 10mm inside the trim |
What's in the file
| Mark | Colour and line | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bleed edge | Red, thin solid line round the edge of the page | Backgrounds run to here. This 3mm strip is trimmed off. |
| Trim line | Black, solid line, with short black centre marks in the bleed | Where the poster is cut to size. |
| Safe area | Blue, short dashes, 10mm inside the trim | Keep text and logos inside this line. |
| Label block | Black and red text near the bottom edge | Template name, legend and the reminder to delete the guides. |
The line weights and text in the label block are scaled up on the larger sizes, so they stay readable when you zoom out.
Product notes
| Size | Trim (mm) | Artwork with 3mm bleed (mm) | Pixels for a full-page image |
|---|---|---|---|
| A3 | 297 x 420 | 303 x 426 | 3508 x 4961 at 300dpi |
| A2 | 420 x 594 | 426 x 600 | 4961 x 7016 at 300dpi |
| A1 | 594 x 841 | 600 x 847 | 3508 x 4967 at 150dpi |
| A0 | 841 x 1189 | 847 x 1195 | 4967 x 7022 at 150dpi |
- Safe area: 10mm inside the trim on every size.
- Paper: 170gsm silk as standard, for indoor use; also 135 or 250gsm silk, 135, 170 or 250gsm gloss, 150gsm satin, and outdoor 115gsm blueback or 170gsm waterproof PVC. Printed on one side.
- Photos: check the pixel size of your image before you place it. An image smaller than the figures above will print, but it may look soft close up.
- Large areas of black: use rich black (C63 M52 Y51 K100) for big black backgrounds, and plain 100% black for text.
Using it in Canva and Word
In Canva, create a custom-size design at the trim size, turn on Show print bleed, upload our SVG as a guide and delete it before you download as PDF Print. Word's largest page is 22 inches (558.8mm) on each side, so Word can only handle the A3 poster. For A2, A1 and A0, use a design app or Canva.
Questions
What resolution should my poster images be?
For A3 and A2, use images at 300dpi at the size they appear on the poster. For A1 and A0, 150dpi at full size is enough, because a large poster is seen from further away. A full-page A1 image at 150dpi needs about 3508 x 4967 pixels. Our automatic check warns you if an image is too low in resolution for the size.
Can I design a landscape poster with these templates?
Yes. Turn the page round in your design program so the long edge is horizontal. The bleed, trim and safe area are the same, just rotated, and our file check reads the size either way. Choose the same paper size when you order: a landscape A2 poster is still A2.
Can I make an A2 or A1 poster in Word?
Not at full size. Word's largest page is 22 inches (558.8mm) on each side, which is smaller than A2. Use Canva, Affinity, Illustrator or InDesign for A2, A1 and A0. Word works for an A3 poster: set the page to 303 x 426mm with zero margins, keep text 13mm from every edge and use Save as PDF.
Why do I need bleed on a poster?
Posters are printed on a larger sheet and trimmed to size. If your background stops exactly at the edge, a small shift in trimming can leave a thin white line. Extending the background 3mm past the trim, to the red line in our template, means the cut always falls inside your colour.