Poster Sizes and Styles
US
ITALY
BRITAIN
FRANCE
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
OTHER
US

One Sheet - The standard size for US posters. Originally modeled after the British one sheet, it is classically 27x41 inches. However, since the 1980's, one sheets have crept to slightly smaller sizes. Typically the height can now be an inch or two smaller - sizes of 27x39 and 27x40 are very common now.

Prior to 1985, almost all one sheets were folded for shipping. Since then posters were more commonly rolled in tubes for shipping, eliminating fold lines and rolled one sheets are now the rule for new posters.

Occasionally a distribution company will put out several different styles of one sheet. They are then categorized by letter (A, B, C, etc). For clarification sake, often a further description of the poster is included with the letter, (i.e. Dune Advance A - Moon). After a film has been released, distributors may also release another version of the one sheet, this time with a positive review from a critic. Such one sheet are categorized as a"review". (i.e. Wild At Heart US review)

Posters were origially produced with printing on a single side. In the early 1990's distributors began printing "double sided" one sheets. These have the reverse image on the back, allowing the poster to be displayed in a light box. Double sided (DS) one sheets are more sought after than single sided (SS) one sheets for various reasons. One is for quality - DS are often thicker and moresbustantial with richer colors. Another is it has been thought that DS one sheets are "originals" whereas SS have the possibility of being reprints. However, it should be kept in mind that 1.) Single sided originals ARE still produced, and 2.) Double sided reprints ARE starting to emerge.
 
Advance - Typically one sheet size posters Issued prior to the release of the film, usually with the date of release at the bottom. Can have the same or different artwork as the one sheet.
 
Insert - 14x36 inches, a slender poster that theatres would "insert" into display cases. Usually contained the same artwork as the one sheet.Inserts were no longer produced after the mid 1980's
 
30x40 - 30x40 inches, just slightly larger than a one sheet. Printed on heavier card stock which often cracks on the surface. This makes finding 30'x40 in good condition very hard to find.
 
40x60 - 40x60 inches and printed on heavier card stock. May be similar or different than the one sheet artwork.
 
Half Sheet - 28x22 inches, printed on heavier stock. One of the only horizontal oriented US posters, it ceased to be produced in the mid 1980's along with the insert. Artwork is often different than the one sheet.
 
Subway - 59x45 inches, a large poster used typically in New York and other large metropolitan areas for display in the subway systems.
 
Lobby Cards - 14x11 inches. Comes in a set of eight. The first card, called a title card, had artwork similar to the one sheet while the other 7 cards showed images from the film. They are no longer printed for the US market but are in foreign markets.
 
Commercial - variable in size. These are mass printed either prior to, during or after a films release. These are the posters you'll find at your local grocery or department store, or through the official web site or fan club. While sense would dictate these would be worthless due to mass printing, many of these have proven to be quite pricey.
 
Video - Variable in size, though often found in a size similar to the one sheet. Also aften has artwork similar to one sheet with "coming to video.." at the bottom. Video posters are thought to be worth only a fraction of amount of an original theatre poster. However, the market is slowly growing for video posters and can often be a good alternative to a theatre poster.
Italy
Locandina - 13x27 inches, similar in function to a US insert. There is a area of white at the top of the locandina that is standard. Often rolled or with a single horizontal crease.
 
2 foglio (folio) - 39x55 inches, also called a "due". The standard and most common size for Italian posters. Commonly folded. Often with unique artwork.
 
4 foglio (folio) - 55x78 inches, a very large poster - so large that it always comes in two seperate pieces. Also called a "quatro". Similar styles to the 2 foglio, commonly folded.
 
Photobustas - 27x18 inches (though size can vary) in a set of 6 cards, with nicely done collages of scenes from the film. Thus similar to large US lobby cards.
Britain
Quad - 40x30 inches (horizontal format), the standard UK format. With the horizontal orientation, styles can often be different than the US one sheet. Newer titles are rolled and can be double sided.
 
Double Quad - 40x60 inches, vertical format. A newer style, often rolled. Also called a "Subway" size.
 
One sheet - 27x41 inches (vertical format). The poster the US one sheet was modeled after. The British one sheet has since been mostly replaced with the Quad, making it much harder to find. Though similar in size and shape to the US one sheet, it tends to still have different artwork. Earlier titles were folded.
France
Petite - 23.5x31.5 inches, the smaller of the French posters. Typically the same artwork as the Grande.
 
Grande - Approximately 46x62 inches, the standard format for French posters. Almost always folded. French posters are well known for having beautiful images and artwork not seen in US styles.
Australia
Daybill - 13x27 inches. The Australian version of the US insert, usually printed on thin paper. Often the image has an advertisement for the paperback of the film.
 
One Sheet - 27x41inches, standard size for Australian poster. Often similar to the US artwork.
 
Photosheet - 27x41 inches, a one sheet sized poster with 6 images from the film. Thus serves as a composite of lobby cards on one poster. Harder to find than the one sheet or daybill.
Germany
A1 - Approximately 23x33 inches, the standard size for German posters though smaller do exist (A2, A3, etc.) Avaliable both folded and rolled.
 
Türplakat (Doorpanel) - Varies in length and width, though usually just a bit longer than the A1.
 
A0 - 33x46 inches, either vertical or horizontal.
 
A00 - 46x65 inches, either vertical or horizontal. A large poster, produced in two pieces, folded.
Other
Japanese - Various sizes, notably appr. 28x40 inches and a smaller 20x30 inches for the one sheets. Also have small flyers (~8x10 inches) and larger multipage programs.
 
Czechoslovakia - Usually 12x16 inches. Often very unique and strange artwork unlike anything even related to the film.
 
Poland - Standard size is approximately the same size as the German A1, though variations are common (26x38). Great artwork can be found. Most often folded, though rarely rolled.
 
Belgium - 14x22 inches is standard.