What Font Size Should an Academic Poster Be? (A0 and A1)

Quick answer: On an A0 academic poster, use a title of about 85–100pt, section headings of 36–48pt, body text of 24–32pt and captions or references of 18–20pt. On A1, use a title of 60–72pt, headings of 28–36pt, body text of 18–24pt and captions of 14–16pt. Body text should never go below 24pt on A0 or 18pt on A1, so people can read it from about two metres away.

Text that looks fine on your laptop screen can be far too small once the poster is pinned to a board in a busy hall. This guide gives the font sizes to use for A0 and A1 posters, explains why they work, and shows a simple way to check your text size before you print.

Recommended font sizes for A0 and A1 posters

These sizes assume your file is set to the real poster size. If your conference gives its own font guidance, follow that first. Not sure which size you need? See A0 vs A1 conference posters.

Why these sizes work: viewing distance

At a poster session, people decide whether to stop from a few metres away, then read the detail from about one to two metres. Your text sizes should match those two distances:

• The title needs to be readable from around three metres, so people walking past know what your poster is about.
• Headings help visitors scan the poster and jump to the section they care about, such as results or conclusions.
• Body text needs to be comfortable to read from one to two metres, without people leaning in.

Many university and conference guides give a similar rule: body text of at least 24pt on a large poster, with the title several times bigger.

How to check your text size before you print

1. Set the real page size first. Make the document exactly 841 × 1189 mm for A0 or 594 × 841 mm for A1 before you add any text. If you design on a small slide and scale it up later, every font size changes.
2. Do the A4 test. Print your poster on A4 paper. An A0 design prints at a quarter of its size on A4, so holding the A4 page about 50 cm from your eyes looks the same as standing two metres from the full A0 poster. If you can read the body text comfortably, it is big enough.
3. Check at 100% zoom. In PowerPoint or Canva, zoom in to the real size on part of the poster and look at your smallest text, such as chart labels and references.
4. Ask someone else. Show the A4 print to a colleague and ask them what your main finding is. If they struggle, cut words before you shrink text.

For step-by-step setup, see our guides to printing a PowerPoint poster at A0 and making an A0 poster in Canva.

Scaling between A0 and A1

A0 and A1 have the same shape, so you can scale a finished design from one to the other without stretching it. But the font sizes scale too:

• A0 to A1 scales everything to about 71%, so 24pt body text becomes about 17pt. That is slightly below the 18pt minimum, so increase body text to at least 26pt on the A0 version if you plan to print both sizes.
• A1 to A0 scales everything to about 141%, so 18pt body text becomes about 25pt, which works well.

Choosing a readable font

• Use a clear sans-serif font such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica or Open Sans for body text. They stay readable from a distance.
• Stick to one or two fonts. For example, one for the title and headings and one for the body text.
• Avoid long text in capitals or italics. Both are slower to read. Use bold for emphasis instead.
• Keep good contrast. Dark text on a light background is easiest to read under bright hall lights.
• Left-align body text. Centred or fully justified paragraphs are harder to follow on a large poster.

Common font size mistakes

• Shrinking text to fit more words. If the text does not fit at 24pt on A0, the poster has too many words. Aim for roughly 300 to 800 words in total.
• Tiny chart labels. Graphs copied from a paper or thesis often have 8–10pt labels. Remake or enlarge them so labels are at least 18pt on A0.
• Too many sizes. Using five or six different sizes looks messy. Keep to a clear set: title, headings, body and captions.
• A title that is too long. A long title at 100pt can take up a third of the poster. Keep it short, and use a subtitle if you need more detail.

Before you send your file, run through our academic poster checklist, and see how to make an academic poster for layout tips.

Ready to print?

We print A0 posters from £34.99 and A1 posters from £29.99 on 260gsm matte or satin paper, rolled in a protective tube. Delivery is free across the UK, and orders placed before 12PM (Monday to Friday) are printed the same day. Upload a PDF at 300 DPI for the sharpest text.