Poster Size Chart for Tiled Printing: Pages, Pixels & DPI
How many A4 sheets does your poster need — and how many pixels must your image have? One chart answers both.
The Master Chart
Minimum A4 sheets (portrait grid, before overlap) and required image pixels at two quality levels:
| Poster size | A4 sheets (min) | Pixels @ 150 DPI | Pixels @ 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2 (42 × 59.4 cm) | 4 (2×2) | 2480 × 3508 | 4961 × 7016 |
| A1 (59.4 × 84.1 cm) | 9 (3×3) | 3508 × 4967 | 7016 × 9933 |
| A0 (84.1 × 118.9 cm) | 25 (5×5) | 4967 × 7022 | 9933 × 14043 |
| 24 × 36″ (61 × 91.4 cm) | 12 (3×4) | 3600 × 5400 | 7200 × 10800 |
| 1 × 1.5 m | 30 (5×6) | 5906 × 8858 | 11811 × 17717 |
| 1 × 2 m | 35 (5×7) | 5906 × 11811 | 11811 × 23622 |
| 2 × 3 m | 110 (10×11) | 11811 × 17717 | 23622 × 35433 |
Note: sheet counts are theoretical minimums ignoring overlap margins. In practice, a 10–15 mm overlap adds roughly 5–10% more sheets — PosteRazor shows you the exact count in its preview.
How to Calculate It Yourself
Sheets: columns = ceil(poster width ÷ 210 mm), rows = ceil(poster height ÷ 297 mm). Multiply for the total. (Using US Letter? Substitute 216 × 279 mm.)
Pixels: pixels = inches × DPI. Convert mm to inches by dividing by 25.4. So a 1-meter-wide poster at 150 DPI needs (1000 ÷ 25.4) × 150 ≈ 5906 px across.
Which DPI Do You Actually Need?
| Viewing distance | Recommended DPI | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Arm’s length (reading) | 300 | Infographics, text-heavy posters |
| 1–2 meters (wall art) | 150 | Photo murals, movie posters |
| Across the room / outdoors | 72–100 | Banners, event backdrops |
The #1 beginner mistake is demanding 300 DPI for a 2-meter wall poster viewed from 3 meters away. Your eyes can’t resolve the difference — but your image file becomes 4× larger and may crash the PDF export. Match DPI to viewing distance.
Is My Image Big Enough? The 10-Second Check
- Right-click your image → Properties/Info → note the pixel dimensions.
- Find your poster size in the chart above.
- If your pixels ≥ the 150-DPI column, you’re fine for wall viewing. If not, upscale with AI before printing — don’t just stretch it.
PosteRazor also shows you the effective DPI in step 4 of the wizard — if it reads below 72, stop and get a bigger source image.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many A4 pages do I need for a 1×2 meter poster?
At minimum 35 sheets (5 columns × 7 rows). With a 10 mm overlap margin, expect around 38–40 in practice.
What resolution should a poster image be?
Aim for 150 DPI at final size for wall posters (300 DPI only for close reading). A 24×36″ poster needs 3600×5400 px at 150 DPI.
Can I print a poster larger than A0 on a home printer?
Yes — that’s the whole point of tiled printing. A 2×3 m mural needs about 110 A4 sheets. The limit is your patience, not the printer.
Does paper size (A4 vs Letter) change the count?
Slightly. Letter (216 × 279 mm) is wider but shorter than A4. Recompute with columns = ceil(width ÷ 216), rows = ceil(height ÷ 279).
Related guides
- AI Upscale Images for Poster Printing — when your image is too small
- Where to Find High-Resolution Poster Images
- How to Use PosteRazor — full tutorial
- Best Paper for Tiled Posters
- PosteRazor Online Tool