Point of sale posters: sizes, paper and where each one works

Point of sale posters are the posters at the places where customers decide what to buy: in the window, by the till, on the wall behind the counter, on a pavement sign outside. They work because they are specific and temporary, pushing this week’s offer or a new product, so the right size and material depends on where each one goes and how long it will stay up.

This guide goes spot by spot through a typical shop or cafe, then covers materials, design and keeping posters fresh.

Point of sale posters by location #

Where	Typical size	Material
Shop window	A1 (594 × 841 mm) or A0 (841 × 1189 mm)	Satin paper inside the glass; PVC if the window gets condensation
Wall behind the counter	A2 (420 × 594 mm) or A1	Satin paper, framed or fixed flat
Beside the till	A4 (210 × 297 mm) or A3 (297 × 420 mm)	Satin paper in a holder, or a rigid strut card
Pavement A-board	A1 or A2 to fit the frame	Replacement posters made for the board
Outside wall or fence	A2 to A0	PVC, PVC-free or waterproof posters
Noticeboards and doors	A4 or A3	Satin paper

All of these sizes, plus 20 × 30 in (508 × 762 mm) and 30 × 40 in (762 × 1016 mm), are available on our poster printing page. Our guide to UK poster sizes has the full table with viewing distances.

Choosing the material #

• 150gsm satin poster paper. A smooth, good-looking finish for indoor posters, frames and windows. The usual choice for point of sale posters inside.
• 120gsm blueback. A paper with a blue-grey back that stops whatever is behind it showing through. Suited to posters pasted or fixed over old ones and to outdoor poster sites.
• 440gsm PVC or 400gsm PVC-free. Tough, water-resistant materials for posters outside, in damp spots, or anywhere they will be handled and reused.

Sunlight matters too. A poster in a south-facing window will fade faster than one on a shaded wall, whatever it is printed on, so plan to replace window posters more often. It is another reason to keep window posters for short-term offers rather than permanent information.

For outdoor spots, our waterproof posters are printed on PVC or PVC-free from A4 up to A0.

The pavement sign #

An A-board on the pavement is often the first point of sale a customer sees. If you already have one, A-frame replacement posters in A2 or A1 let you change the message without buying a new sign. If you do not, an A-frame pavement sign comes with your first posters. Check your council’s rules for signs on the pavement before you put one out.

Designing point of sale posters that sell #

1. Lead with the offer or the product. “Two coffees and a cake” or “New: gluten-free range”. Not your logo.
2. Show it. One good photo of the product beats a paragraph describing it.
3. State the deal clearly. If there is a price or a saving, make it the biggest number on the poster and make the conditions clear.
4. Say when it ends if it is time limited, and take the poster down when it does.
5. Match your brand. Same fonts and colours on every poster, so the shop looks planned rather than cluttered.

Offers must be honest. The Advertising Standards Authority publishes the UK advertising codes, which cover things like “was” prices, “up to” savings and free offers. If your poster makes a price claim, it is worth a read.

Keeping posters fresh #

Point of sale posters lose their effect when they stay up too long. Regular customers stop seeing a poster after a few weeks. A simple rota helps:

• Plan offers a month or a season ahead, and order the posters together.
• Use the same sizes every time, so posters drop straight into frames and holders.
• Keep a set of evergreen posters (opening hours, what you do, how to order) and rotate the offer posters around them.
• Take down anything that has expired, faded or curled. Tired posters make the whole shop look tired.
• Photograph each window when a new set goes up. After a few months you can see which point of sale posters were followed by busier weeks and plan the next ones around them.

How many posters is too many? #

A window covered in posters says nothing, because nobody can pick out a single message. As a rough guide, one main poster per window pane and one poster per wall or counter area is plenty. If you have five offers, pick the best one for the window and move the rest inside, near the products they are about.

Leave some glass clear too. Customers like to see into a shop before they walk in, and staff like to see out.

Examples by business #

Cafe or takeaway

An A1 poster in the window with the meal deal or the seasonal special, an A2 A-board outside with the same offer, and an A4 by the till for the loyalty card or the add-on (“Add a cookie”). Three point of sale posters, one message each.

Trade counter or merchant

An A1 on the wall behind the counter for the product of the month, A3 posters on the end of aisles for new lines, and an A4 at the till for account opening. Keep product codes and prices on shelf labels rather than posters, so posters do not need reprinting every time a price changes.

Salon, gym or clinic

An A2 in reception for the current offer or new treatment, and A4 posters in changing rooms or treatment rooms for add-on services. Framed posters suit these spaces better than tape.

Frames and holders #

Posters in frames or clip frames look sharper and last longer than posters stuck to glass or walls with tape. If you use clip frames, choose standard A sizes so every new poster fits. For counters and shelves, rigid displays such as Foamex strut cards stand up on their own. See our counter and menu displays.

Artwork and ordering #

Our online designer has poster templates at every size, and you see exactly what you’ll get. If you upload your own file, make it the exact A size with bleed, and a person will give it a free file check. Order several designs at once to spread the delivery: UK mainland delivery is £7.95 per order and free when your goods total is £99 or more after discount codes. Boards larger than A0 add £15 once per order.

Browse all posters to compare sizes and materials for your point of sale posters.