48 x 36 inch research poster: the standard US landscape size
48 x 36 inches (48 wide, 36 tall) is the format most North American conferences mention first. It fits half of a standard 4 x 8 ft board, so two presenters can share one board side by side.
Open the editor at 48 x 36 below, or pick a template designed for landscape: Poster Session and Clinical Trial both use four columns, which is where this format shines.
Open a 48 x 36 in poster · All templates
48 x 36 at a glance
| Width × height | 48 × 36 in (121.9 × 91.4 cm) |
|---|---|
| Orientation | Landscape |
| Aspect ratio | 4 : 3 (1.33) |
| Area | 12 sq ft (1.11 m²) |
| Board fit | Half of a 4 × 8 ft board; fits a 4 ft high board with room for pins |
| Larger versions | 56 × 42 and 64 × 48 in keep the same 4 : 3 shape |
Templates built for landscape
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Poster Session (Free)
Rendered at 48 x 36. Four columns with results in the centre two, where people look first.
Open Poster Session -
Clinical Trial (Free)
Rendered at 48 x 36. A tall Methods column for a CONSORT diagram and a wide outcomes column.
Open Clinical Trial -
Engineering Grid (Free)
Rendered at 48 x 36. A 3 × 3 panel grid that reads as a design–build–test story.
Open Engineering Grid
Why 48 x 36 is so common
Many US venues use 4 x 8 ft cork or fabric boards. A 48 x 36 poster uses the full 4 ft height minus a margin and half the width, so organisers can fit two posters per board. That is why calls for posters often list it as the default or the maximum.
If the instructions say "maximum 4 ft x 8 ft", you could print larger, but most presenters still choose 48 x 36 because it is cheaper, easier to carry in a tube and readable at arm's length.
Layout advice for a wide poster
- Use three or four columns. Two 24 in columns make lines of text too long to read comfortably.
- Read left to right: background and methods on the left, results in the middle, conclusions on the right.
- Keep everything important between about 1 m and 1.8 m from the floor. On a landscape poster that is almost the whole poster, which is its big advantage.
- A wide format suits timelines, process diagrams and side-by-side comparisons; let one figure span two columns.
Printing and travel
Most print shops print 48 x 36 on a 36 in or 42 in roll. Fabric prints fold into a suitcase; paper prints need a tube at least 38 in long. Order a day earlier than you think, because conference-week queues are long.
Because 48 x 36 is under PowerPoint's 56 in limit, the PowerPoint download from the editor opens at full size, so co-authors can edit the final file.
Frequently asked questions
Is 48 x 36 the same as 36 x 48?
Same paper, different orientation. 48 x 36 is landscape (48 in wide); 36 x 48 is portrait.
What is 48 x 36 in centimetres?
121.92 × 91.44 cm, usually written as 122 × 91 cm.
How many columns should a 48 x 36 poster have?
Three or four. Four columns of about 11 in each give comfortable line lengths for 28 pt body text.