Poster printing
Put your message in focus with posters for shop windows, exhibitions, presentations and promotional campaigns.
Poster printing
Theatre poster printing
Theatre poster printing has its own habits: traditional sizes, contractual credits and changes that arrive after opening night. This page is for producers, marketing managers and venue teams preparing posters for a run or a tour.
Get frame sizes from every venue first
Theatres often use double crown and quad crown formats, but frames vary, and touring shows can meet several sizes in a single season. Ask each venue's marketing contact for frame dimensions, including the visible area inside the frame, as frames can hide the outer edge. Keep critical text away from the edges and build the artwork to adapt from portrait to landscape. Our poster printing page covers sizes and stocks. A short table of venue, size, quantity and delivery address prevents most mistakes.
Billing is a contract, not a layout choice
Actor, author and director credits are often governed by contract, including the order and relative size of each name. Theatre producers usually keep a billing sheet for this purpose, and whoever approves the artwork should check every poster version against it. Rights holders and licensing agreements may also require specific credit wording, so check your licence. Plan for cast changes on longer runs. If a name might change, keep it on a separate layer in the artwork so that a reprint needs only a small edit.
After press night: stars, quotes and lightboxes
Once reviews land, marketing teams want star ratings and quotes on display straight away. Designing a clear area for them from the start means overlay strips or stickers can sit neatly on printed stock, avoiding a whole reprint. Ask us about overlay sizes when you order the first run. Front of house lightboxes are a different matter, as a paper poster often looks dull when lit from behind. Backlit displays use film or stock made for the purpose, so tell us which frames are illuminated.
Related topics
Useful to know
Your questions.
What size is a double crown theatre poster?
Double crown is traditionally about 508 x 762 mm, and quad crown about 762 x 1016 mm. Frames can differ between venues, so confirm the exact size with each theatre before artwork is finalised.
Can star ratings be added to theatre posters already printed?
Yes, overlay strips or stickers are a common way of adding reviews to existing posters. They work well if the design has a clear area for them, so plan the space before the first print run.
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