A3 poster canvas
Design at real A3 poster size from the first click, so type and spacing decisions are made at the scale they will print.
Poster PDF Maker
Create a Poster PDF Ready to Print at A3
To create a poster PDF, open the free browser-based Creator, set the page size to A3, and design at real poster scale — giant headline, one focal image, minimal detail. Export is a true vector PDF, which is the entire point for posters: vector text prints perfectly sharp at full A3, with no pixelation and no watermark.
Posters are read from metres away, not centimetres, so they obey different rules than flyers. The headline should dominate — think 100pt or more on A3 — with a single strong image behind or beside it, and only the details someone would step closer to read: date, place, price. If it would not be legible taped to a wall across the room, it does not belong on the poster.
Layering is what makes posters look designed rather than typed: a full-page photo, a semi-transparent rectangle to calm it down, and the type on top. The z-order controls, opacity, and smart alignment guides handle exactly that stack.
Free foreverNo signupNo watermarkWorks in your browser
Inside the editor
Built for this document
Oversized display type
Push headlines past 100pt with fonts like Impact, tighten letter spacing, and control line height so stacked words lock together.
Layered composition
Bring forward, send back, lock, and hide elements — build the classic poster stack of photo, overlay, and type without fighting the canvas.
Full-page focal image
Upload a photo, stretch it across the page with cover fit, and drop its opacity so the headline stays the loudest thing on the poster.
Bold background color
A single saturated page background with high-contrast type is the fastest route to a poster that reads from across a room.
Sharp at any print size
Vector export means text and shapes have no resolution — they print crisp at A3 on any office printer or digital print service.
Step by step
Set the canvas to A3
Open the PDF Creator and choose the A3 page size — designing at final size keeps your font-size judgement honest.
Place the focal image or background
Upload one strong photo and set it to cover the page, or pick a bold page background color. One focal element, never several.
Calm the background for text
Draw a rectangle over the image area where text will sit and lower its opacity — a 40–60% dark overlay makes any headline legible.
Set the headline at poster scale
Type the event or offer name at 100pt or larger. If the whole headline fits comfortably twice on the page, it is too small.
Add the step-closer details
Date, venue, price, and a short URL go in one tight block at 24–40pt near the bottom, aligned with the smart guides.
Export and print at A3
Download the vector PDF and print at A3, or send it to a digital print service — text stays sharp at full size.
Get it right the first time
The 3-metre test
A poster must communicate its one message from about 3 metres. Rule of thumb: roughly 2.5 cm (72pt) of letter height per 3 metres of viewing distance — so an A3 headline wants 100pt+.
One focal image, not a collage
Posters with one dominant image outperform collages every time. If you have four photos, pick the best one and save the rest for a brochure.
Limit yourself to two type sizes plus a headline
Headline, detail block, fine print — three sizes total. Every extra size weakens the hierarchy that makes a poster scannable at a glance.
Check contrast in grayscale terms
If the headline and its background would look similar in a black-and-white photo, there is not enough contrast. Dark-on-light or light-on-dark, never mid-on-mid.
Frequently asked questions
Can I print the poster at A3?
Yes — choose the A3 page size before designing and the export is a native A3 vector PDF. Any A3-capable office printer or digital print service will print it sharp, since vector text has no resolution limit.
What font size is readable from a distance on a poster?
Plan for roughly 72pt of letter height per 3 metres of viewing distance. On A3 that means a 100pt+ headline, a 24–40pt detail block, and nothing smaller than 18pt anywhere.
Is the poster maker actually free?
Yes — fully free, unlimited posters, no trial limits and no paid export tier. The tool runs in your browser and the download is never gated.
Can I make a poster bigger than A3?
A3 is the largest built-in page size. Because text and shapes are vector, scaling the PDF up at print time keeps them perfectly sharp — but uploaded photos print at their original resolution, so use high-resolution images if you plan to print larger.
What DPI or resolution is the exported poster?
Text, shapes, and tables are vector, so they have no DPI — they render sharp at any size. Only uploaded images have a fixed resolution; for an A3 photo background, an image around 3500px on the long edge prints cleanly.
Can a print shop print this poster PDF?
Most digital print services accept it directly — it is a standard vector PDF. Commercial offset printing usually asks for CMYK color and bleed marks, which this tool does not produce, so for offset runs check with the printer first.
How do I make text readable on top of a photo?
Place a rectangle between the photo and the text and set its opacity to around 40–60% in a dark color. It calms the photo just enough for the headline to pop without hiding the image.
Can I make a landscape poster for a screen or display?
Use the Presentation 16:9 page size — it is ideal for digital signage, TV displays, and slides projected at events, and exports the same crisp vector PDF.
Related documents you can create
All of these open the same free online PDF creator — each guide covers what makes that document work.
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