Is 36 x 48 the same as 48 x 36?

It is the same physical board, described in the opposite order. 36 x 48 is portrait — 36 inches wide, 48 tall. 48 x 36 is landscape. Conferences use both phrasings for the same boards, so read the instruction as width by height rather than assuming a standard order.

What size is a 36 x 48 poster in centimeters?

91.4 x 121.9 cm. That makes it slightly wider and slightly taller than A0, which is 84.1 x 118.9 cm. The two are close enough that a layout moves between them with only a canvas change, but not so close that you can print one on the other without checking margins.

Is 36 x 48 bigger than A0?

In area, yes, but only slightly — 36 x 48 in is about 1.11 square meters against A0's 1.00. The proportions differ: A0 is the narrower, more elongated shape — 1:1.41 against 3:4. If your instruction says A0, use A0; the shapes are visibly different when pinned side by side.

Which orientation should I use?

Whichever the conference hangs. In North America portrait 36 x 48 is the more common specification, but landscape 48 x 36 boards are widespread at engineering and materials meetings. Both orientations are provided, so the decision costs nothing.

What font size should a 36 x 48 poster use?

Title 85 pt, authors 56 pt, section headings 45 pt, body 26 pt, captions 24 pt — the same scale as A0, since the boards are close in size and viewing distance. These are already applied in the file.

Are these templates free to download?

Yes, and no account is needed. SciFig charges only if you use the AI tools to generate the figures inside the poster.

Scientific 36x48 Poster Template

Name: SciFig
Author: SciFig

36 x 48 in poster templates, plus the 48 x 36 in landscape version — the size most North American conferences hang.

Each preview below is a separate PowerPoint file — click one to jump straight to its download.

What is a Scientific 36x48 Poster Template?

A 36x48 poster template is a PowerPoint file already set to 36 x 48 inches, the size most US conferences ask for.

A 36x48 scientific poster template is a PowerPoint file already set to 36 x 48 inches, the size most North American conferences specify. Turned on its side the same board is described as 48 x 36, which is why both orientations ship here under the same size. Outside North America the equivalent default is A0, which is slightly narrower and slightly shorter.

How to make a 36 x 48 poster from a template

Download a 36 x 48 poster template in the layout and color you want, then fill in the sections it has.

Download the 36 x 48 in poster template in the layout and color you want — or the 48 x 36 in landscape version of the same board — and it arrives with the print type scale already applied. Write your study into the sections that are there: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, References and Acknowledgements. Then fill the six image placeholders.

Text first
every gray prompt is a hint, not content. Click it and start typing; it disappears on its own and never prints.
Then the figures
six image placeholders are already sized and placed. A printed board is read from one to two meters away, and a figure carries further than a paragraph: it is what people remember, photograph and pass on. Need a graphical abstract, an infographic or a mechanism diagram you do not have yet? Describe it to the Scientific Figure Generator and drop the result straight into the box.
A 36 x 48 board is the one most North American meetings hang, so it is also the one reviewers compare yours against. 18 scientific poster examples shows what the good ones share, and it is all subtractive: one hero figure, 300–800 words, color that means something.

36x48 poster template downloads for PowerPoint

Six 36x48 poster templates: three layouts, each in portrait and landscape, and every one in all six colors.

Six files. Portrait is named 36x48, landscape is named 48x36 — same board, opposite orientation. Each of the three layouts ships in all six colors.

36 x 48 in portrait — Classic
36 x 48 in · 914 x 1219 mm
three columns arranged 1.2 : 1.6 : 1.2
6 colors, same layout. Click any one to download the PowerPoint template or open it in Google Slides.
See all six color schemes — and how to swap in your lab or university colors →
36 x 48 in portrait — Four column
36 x 48 in · 914 x 1219 mm
four even columns
6 colors, same layout. Click any one to download the PowerPoint template or open it in Google Slides.
See all six color schemes — and how to swap in your lab or university colors →
36 x 48 in portrait — Spotlight
36 x 48 in · 914 x 1219 mm
central finding panel with supporting columns
6 colors, same layout. Click any one to download the PowerPoint template or open it in Google Slides.
See all six color schemes — and how to swap in your lab or university colors →
48 x 36 in landscape — Classic
48 x 36 in · 1219 x 914 mm
four-column grid arranged 1 : 2 : 1
6 colors, same layout. Click any one to download the PowerPoint template or open it in Google Slides.
See all six color schemes — and how to swap in your lab or university colors →
48 x 36 in landscape — Four column
48 x 36 in · 1219 x 914 mm
four even columns
6 colors, same layout. Click any one to download the PowerPoint template or open it in Google Slides.
See all six color schemes — and how to swap in your lab or university colors →
48 x 36 in landscape — Spotlight
48 x 36 in · 1219 x 914 mm
central finding panel with supporting columns
6 colors, same layout. Click any one to download the PowerPoint template or open it in Google Slides.
See all six color schemes — and how to swap in your lab or university colors →

Research poster layout for 36x48: Classic, Four column and Spotlight

Every file ships with one layout already applied — you are picking a layout by picking a file, not deleting slides.

Here is what each one is for.

Classic — the default
Three columns with RESULTS given the widest one. This is what most 36 x 48 in boards look like and what reviewers scan fastest: introduction and methods on the left, the finding in the middle at the size it deserves, discussion on the right. Pick this unless you have a reason not to.
Four column — for text-heavy work
Four even columns across the board. Use it when you genuinely have more to say — systematic reviews, multi-arm trials, anything with several sub-studies. The trade-off is that no single panel dominates, so it is the wrong choice if one figure is the whole story.
Spotlight — one hero figure
A #betterposter-style board: one large central finding with the supporting detail moved to the sides. It works when a single figure or one sentence carries the result, and it fails when the argument needs several steps. Reviewers who dislike the format usually dislike it for that reason.

Research poster template 48x36: when to hang it landscape

Same board, turned. Choose landscape when the boards are wider than they are tall.

The 48x36 files on this page are not a different template — they are the same 36 x 48 in board rotated, and they ship in all three layouts and all six colors alongside the portrait files. What changes is how the space divides. A landscape board reads left to right in one pass, so it takes a fourth column comfortably where the portrait version would run its columns too narrow; that makes it the better choice when you have several sub-studies rather than one headline figure. Check the board dimensions in your acceptance email before you pick: North American meetings quote the board as 4 x 8 ft or 8 x 4 ft, and a portrait poster on a wide board leaves a meter of empty felt on either side.

Hang it landscape when the conference quotes the board wider than it is tall, or when the poster hall uses shared 8 ft rails.
Landscape gives you a usable fourth column; portrait at this size tops out at three before the columns get too narrow to read.
Both orientations are on this page — the download cards below are labeled 36x48 for portrait and 48x36 for landscape.
The type scale is identical across the two: rotating a board does not change how far away it is read from.

36x48 compared with A0

A 36 x 48 in board is wider and taller than A0; A0 is 33.11 x 46.81 in, so the two are close but not interchangeable.

	36 x 48 in	A0
Inches	36 x 48	33.11 x 46.81
Millimeters	914 x 1219	841 x 1189
Area	1.11 m²	1.00 m²
Where it is standard	North America	Europe
Shape	Wider and taller — 3:4	Narrower and shorter — 1:1.41

Conference poster size — which one does yours want

Use the size in your acceptance email: 36 x 48 in is the North American default, A0 the European one.

The abstract acceptance email is the authority — board sizes differ between halls at the same meeting.
North American societies usually specify 36 x 48 in or 48 x 36 in.
European societies usually specify A0, occasionally A1.
Square boards (46 x 46 in) appear at AVS, MRS, AIChE, and Keystone — neither of the above will fit those.
When the instruction is only a maximum, print smaller rather than larger; oversized posters get taken down.

Conferences and departments write this size in different ways — you may also see it listed as: 36x48 poster template · 48x36 poster template · 36 x 48 poster template powerpoint · poster presentation template 36 x 48 · scientific poster template 36 x 48 · research poster template 36x48 · north american conference poster size · academic poster template 48x36 · research poster template 48x36

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Scientific 36x48 Poster Template.

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