Guide
Poster sizes, frames, and wall space
A poster is a rectangle with a size. The surprise is usually the frame, or the wall, not the picture. Measure that rectangle before the photo wins you over.
These are common print sizes, not a catalog. Nothing here is priced or recommended. Animecapes does not sell posters. There are no product links on this page. See the affiliate disclosure.
Sizes you will see most often
US retail posters are often sold in inches. These three show up constantly:
| Print size | In feet, before a frame |
|---|---|
| 11 × 17 inches | A bit under 1 foot by about 1.4 feet |
| 18 × 24 inches | 1.5 feet by 2 feet |
| 24 × 36 inches | 2 feet by 3 feet |
Imports are often metric. The A-series sizes are fixed. The inch column is the conversion of those exact millimeters, rounded to one decimal. It is not a second official size.
| Name | Exact size | About, in inches |
|---|---|---|
| A3 | 297 × 420 mm | 11.7 × 16.5 |
| A2 | 420 × 594 mm | 16.5 × 23.4 |
| A1 | 594 × 841 mm | 23.4 × 33.1 |
If a listing only says “large” or “full size,” you do not have a size yet. Get inches or millimeters before you buy a frame.
Check orientation. 24 × 36 can mean portrait or landscape. The first number is not always the width.
Frames
A frame labeled the same size as the print is for that print with no mat, and only if the frame’s opening matches the print.
A mat sits between the print and the frame, so the frame has to be larger than the print. Add the mat’s width twice to the print’s width, and twice to the print’s height.
Example of the arithmetic, not a required mat: a 2 inch mat on every side turns an 18 × 24 inch print into a 22 × 28 inch frame (18 + 2 + 2, and 24 + 2 + 2).
The mat’s window should be slightly smaller than the print so the sheet cannot fall through. The frame listing should give the opening size, not only the outer size.
Do not assume a US inch frame fits an A-series print. A3 is close to 11 × 17 inches and is not the same rectangle.
Wall space
Measure the wall in the same units as the print. The thing on the wall is larger than the print once it is framed. Add the frame’s molding on every side. If the molding width is not listed, you do not know the outer size yet.
Leave room around that outer size for switches, shelves, the ceiling, and the edge of the wall. A poster that fills the wall in a product photo may not fit the patch of wall you have.
If you are hanging more than one, decide the gap between frames first, then add those gaps to the outer widths.
What this guide does not do
- No prices and no shop rankings.
- No claim that one size looks better than another.
- No product links.