Should a scientific poster be portrait or landscape?

Follow the conference instruction — it is the only answer that matters, and it is in the abstract acceptance email. Where you get a choice, portrait is the safer default: most European boards are hung tall, and a portrait poster on a wide board simply leaves felt on either side, while a landscape poster on a tall board will not fit at all.

What size is a portrait scientific poster?

The four sizes on this page cover almost every meeting: A0 (841 x 1189 mm), A1 (594 x 841 mm), A2 (420 x 594 mm) and 36 x 48 in (914 x 1219 mm). A0 is the European default and 36 x 48 in is the North American one; A1 and A2 are for smaller halls and departmental days.

How many columns fit on a portrait poster?

Three at A0, A1 and 36 x 48 in; three at A2 but with less room in each. A fourth column is possible and the Four column layout offers it, but on a tall board the columns get narrow enough that figures start landing small — that layout suits landscape better.

Is a vertical poster the same as a portrait poster?

Yes. Vertical, tall and portrait all mean the same board orientation. Conference instructions use all three words, and template sites index them separately, which is why the same file turns up under several names.

Can I turn a portrait poster into landscape?

Not by rotating the canvas — the columns would run wider than the eye tracks comfortably and the reading order breaks. Download the landscape file for the same size instead; the sections and the type scale are already laid out for that shape.

Are the portrait templates free?

Yes, with no account required. Every file on this page downloads free as .pptx; SciFig charges only for optional AI figure generation.

Scientific Poster Template Portrait Sizes

Name: SciFig
Author: SciFig

Every print size SciFig ships in portrait — A0, A1, A2 and 36 x 48 in, three layouts each.

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

What is a Scientific Poster Template Portrait Sizes?

A portrait scientific poster template is a PowerPoint file laid out for a board taller than it is wide.

A portrait scientific poster template is a PowerPoint file laid out for a board taller than it is wide — the shape most conferences hang. This page puts all four print sizes side by side rather than making you guess which one your board is: A0, A1, A2 and 36 x 48 in, each in Classic, Four column and Spotlight, each in six colors. Orientation is not a display setting: it changes how many columns fit and how the eye moves through the poster.

Scientific poster template portrait downloads by size

Twelve portrait poster templates across A0, A1, A2 and 36 x 48 in — three layouts each, every one in all six colors.

Every print size SciFig ships in portrait, side by side: A0 (841 x 1189 mm), A1 (594 x 841 mm), A2 (420 x 594 mm) and 36 x 48 in. Each is offered in Classic, Four column and Spotlight, and each layout ships in all six colors. Pick the size your conference asked for — the layouts and the type scale are already set for that board.

A0 portrait — Classic
A0 · 841 x 1189 mm · 33.11 x 46.81 in
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 →
A0 portrait — Four column
A0 · 841 x 1189 mm · 33.11 x 46.81 in
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 →
A0 portrait — Spotlight
A0 · 841 x 1189 mm · 33.11 x 46.81 in
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 →
A1 portrait — Classic
A1 · 594 x 841 mm · 23.39 x 33.11 in
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 →
A1 portrait — Four column
A1 · 594 x 841 mm · 23.39 x 33.11 in
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 →
A1 portrait — Spotlight
A1 · 594 x 841 mm · 23.39 x 33.11 in
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 →
A2 portrait — Classic
A2 · 420 x 594 mm · 16.54 x 23.39 in
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 →
A2 portrait — Four column
A2 · 420 x 594 mm · 16.54 x 23.39 in
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 →
A2 portrait — Spotlight
A2 · 420 x 594 mm · 16.54 x 23.39 in
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 →
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 →

Portrait poster sizes compared: A0, A1, A2 and 36 x 48 in

Four boards, one orientation. The sheet is the same as landscape — what changes is which side is up.

Pick the row your conference specified; each links to the size page if you want only that board.

Size	Millimeters	Inches	Where it is used
A0 portrait	841 x 1189 mm	33.11 x 46.81 in	The default at most European conferences
A1 portrait	594 x 841 mm	23.39 x 33.11 in	Smaller halls and half-height boards
A2 portrait	420 x 594 mm	16.54 x 23.39 in	Departmental days and corridor displays
36 x 48 in portrait	914 x 1219 mm	36 x 48 in	The North American standard

Portrait or landscape — which orientation to choose

The instruction from the organizers decides it. Where you get a choice, portrait suits a different kind of argument.

Follow the acceptance email first — a landscape poster will not fit a portrait board at all, and no layout choice survives that.
Portrait is the safer default when the instruction is silent: most European boards are hung tall.
Portrait suits a single line of reasoning read top to bottom — background, method, result, conclusion in one descent.
It tops out at three readable columns. If you have four parallel strands to show, the landscape file for the same size gives you the width for them.
Vertical and tall mean the same thing as portrait; conference instructions use all three words.

Portrait poster layout: how many columns fit

Three columns is the working maximum in portrait; the fourth costs more than it gains.

Column count is not a style preference — it follows from board width. At A0 and 36 x 48 in a portrait board gives roughly three 10-inch columns, which is about as narrow as body text can run before line breaks start fighting the reader. The Four column layout is available at every size here, but on a tall board it trades figure size for section count: each figure lands in a column about a quarter of the board wide. Use it when you genuinely have four things to say and none of them is carried by one large figure. At A2 the same arithmetic applies with less room, which is why that board suits Spotlight — one finding, supporting detail at the sides.

Conferences and departments write this size in different ways — you may also see it listed as: scientific poster template portrait · portrait poster template · research poster portrait · portrait research poster template · vertical scientific poster template · scientific poster portrait template · scientific poster portrait · scientific poster template vertical · a0 poster template portrait

All Poster Templates

Browse every Poster Templates page in SciFig's library.

Scientific 36x48 Poster Template

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

Scientific A0 Poster Template

A0 poster templates sized 841 x 1189 mm, in portrait and landscape, with the type scale already set for print.

Scientific A1 Poster Template

A1 poster templates sized 594 x 841 mm, portrait and landscape, with a type scale recomputed for the smaller board.

A2 Academic Poster Template

A2 poster templates at 420 x 594 mm, portrait and landscape, with a type scale recomputed for a close-read board.

Scientific Poster Color Schemes

Six academic color schemes that stay readable in print, with hex values and a poster template in each one.

Scientific Conference Poster Template

Conference poster templates in every board size conferences actually hang, with the print type scale already applied.

Scientific E-Poster Template

E-poster templates in three shapes: a 16:9 screen canvas, and A0 portrait and landscape single-page versions.

Scientific Poster Template Landscape Sizes

Every print size SciFig ships in landscape — A0, A1, A2 and 48 x 36 in, three layouts each.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Scientific Poster Template Portrait Sizes.

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