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Print a 36 x 48 inch poster on Letter paper

36 x 48 inches is a large poster, about the width of a doorway. On Letter paper with a 0.25 inch margin and a 0.5 inch overlap, it takes 25 sheets in portrait (5 x 5). Landscape needs more, 28 sheets (4 x 7), so portrait is the better choice here.

This is the point where paper size matters. If you can print on Tabloid (11 x 17 inch), the same poster needs 12 sheets in portrait (4 across, 3 down). The tool is set to 36 inches wide. Change the paper to compare.

1. Your image

Loading a sample picture. You can also drop or paste an image.

Hatched area is blank paper. A shaded strip is overlap you glue. A1, A2 and so on are the page names.

Sheets
 
Poster size
 
Print quality
 

Print at 100% (Actual size). Do not choose Fit to page.

How to assemble

  1. Print one page and check it. Print at 100%.
  2. Trim the white edge along the solid marks. Keep the dashed edges.
  3. Line up pages A1 and A2, then B1 and B2. Glue each strip.
Paper orientation

3. Poster size

How the picture fills the poster

Fit shows the whole picture. The poster may have white at the edges.

Set the poster size by
Units

Most home printers cannot print within 0.25 in (6 mm) of the edge. The overlap is the strip you glue.

 

 

Sheets for a 36 x 48 inch poster

These counts use a 0.25 inch printer margin and a 0.5 inch overlap. The tool above shows the exact numbers for your picture.

Sheets for a 36 x 48 inch poster
Poster sizeLetter, portraitLetter, landscapeTabloid (11 x 17), portraitTabloid (11 x 17), landscape
36 x 48 in5 x 5 (25 sheets)4 x 7 (28 sheets)4 x 3 (12 sheets)3 x 5 (15 sheets)
48 x 36 in7 x 4 (28 sheets)5 x 5 (25 sheets)5 x 3 (15 sheets)3 x 4 (12 sheets)

Before you print 25 sheets

  • Print the test page (A1 only) and measure it with a ruler.
  • Check that the ink or toner will last. A full color page uses a lot.
  • Use draft or economy mode for the first pass if you only want to check the layout.

Image quality at this size

At 36 inches wide, 150 dpi needs 5400 pixels across. Most phone photos give about 100 dpi here. That looks fine from 6 feet away, and soft at arm's length. A poster this large is rarely read up close, so 100 dpi is usually acceptable. Below 72 dpi it looks blurry.

Putting it together

Work in rows. Glue the sheets of one row into a strip, then join the strips. This keeps errors small. Use a large table or a clean floor. A rolling pin or a ruler helps flatten the seams.

Hang it with painter's tape on a wall you can reach with a step stool, or mount it on a foam board in two or three pieces.

Print at actual size

In the print dialog, choose 100% or Actual size. Do not choose Fit to page. That setting shrinks every tile, and the pieces will not line up. Print the test page first and measure it.

Questions

How many sheets is a 36 x 48 inch poster?

25 Letter sheets in portrait (5 x 5), 28 in landscape (4 x 7), or 12 on Tabloid paper in portrait (3 x 4), with a 0.25 inch margin and a 0.5 inch overlap.

Is it cheaper to print at a copy shop?

Often, yes, if you just need one. A copy shop can print a 36 x 48 inch sheet in one piece. This tool is for when you have no shop nearby, want it today, or want the poster in pieces to carry or to mount in sections.

What about the 200 sheet limit?

The tool stops at 200 sheets in one PDF. A 36 x 48 inch poster is far below that.

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