Flyer Sizes Guide: Print and Social Media Dimensions

"What size should the flyer be?" sounds like a simple question until you need the same design for WhatsApp Status, an Instagram post, an A5 handout and a roll-up banner. This is the reference I use when setting up flyer and print jobs at theHoracle Studio — bookmark it, share it with your designer, and send it to your printer.

All print sizes below are in millimetres (mm) unless stated, with pixel equivalents at 300 DPI, the standard resolution for print.

Standard paper sizes for print flyers

Nigeria uses the international ISO "A" paper sizes, the same as most of the world outside North America.

• A6 — 105 × 148 mm (1240 × 1748 px at 300 DPI). Pocket flyers, invitation inserts, small handouts.
• A5 — 148 × 210 mm (1748 × 2480 px). The most popular handout flyer size: big enough for detail, cheap to print in bulk.
• A4 — 210 × 297 mm (2480 × 3508 px). Detailed flyers, price lists, notices and one-page brochures.
• A3 — 297 × 420 mm (3508 × 4961 px). Small posters for shop windows, notice boards and church foyers.
• A2 — 420 × 594 mm (4961 × 7016 px). Larger posters.
• DL — 99 × 210 mm (1169 × 2480 px). A slim format that fits a standard envelope; good for menus, rate cards and inserts.

Each size in the A series is exactly half of the one above it, so an A4 sheet cuts into two A5s or four A6s — useful for keeping print costs down.

Business cards

• 3.5 × 2 inches (about 89 × 51 mm) is a very common size.
• 85 × 55 mm is the standard European size, also widely used.

Confirm with your printer before designing, since their cutting templates are set to one or the other.

Large-format print

• Roll-up banners are commonly around 85 × 200 cm, though 80, 100 and 120 cm widths also exist. The bottom part of the design is often hidden by the stand, so keep important content higher up.
• Flex banners and backdrops are made to order — get exact dimensions from the venue or printer.
• Posters usually use A3, A2 or A1.

Large-format designs don't always need 300 DPI at full size, because they're viewed from a distance. Your printer will tell you the resolution they need; many work fine at lower resolution for banners.

Bleed and safe margins

If your flyer has colour or images running to the edge, you need bleed — extra design that extends past the trim line, so there's no white edge after cutting.

• Add 3 mm of bleed on every side. An A5 flyer with bleed is therefore 154 × 216 mm.
• Keep text and logos at least 3–5 mm inside the trim line (the safe area), so nothing important is cut off.

The full process is in our print-ready files checklist.

Social media and e-flyer sizes

Digital flyers are designed in pixels and RGB colour. These are the sizes I use most:

• WhatsApp Status — 1080 × 1920 px (9:16). Keep key text away from the top and bottom, where the app's interface overlaps.
• Instagram story — 1080 × 1920 px (9:16). Same as Status; leave room at the top and bottom for profile info and reply bar.
• Instagram portrait post — 1080 × 1350 px (4:5). Takes up the most space in the feed, so it's usually the best choice for flyers. See the rate card and social e-flyer we designed for Ponmile Fashoranti Photography.
• Instagram square post — 1080 × 1080 px (1:1). Still works well, especially for simple announcements.
• Instagram profile grid — 3:4 crop. Instagram's profile grid now previews posts as 3:4 rectangles, so keep the headline central enough to survive the crop (or upload at 1080 × 1440 px).
• X (Twitter) image — 1600 × 900 px (16:9). Landscape works best in the timeline.
• WhatsApp chat image. There's no fixed size, but portrait and square images display best; compress to keep the file small for people on mobile data.

Designing one flyer for many sizes

Don't just stretch one design to every format. Instead:

• Design the print version and the 4:5 post first — they share a similar portrait shape.
• Adapt it to 9:16 for Status and stories by giving the headline and call to action more vertical space.
• Create a landscape version only if you'll use it on X, websites or LinkedIn.
• Keep the same headline, colours and imagery so people recognise it across platforms.

We cover the content side of this in flyer design that converts.

Quick reference

• Handout flyer: A5 + 3 mm bleed, 300 DPI, CMYK
• Detailed flyer or notice: A4 + 3 mm bleed, 300 DPI, CMYK
• Poster: A3 or A2, CMYK, check resolution with printer
• Business card: 89 × 51 mm or 85 × 55 mm + bleed
• WhatsApp Status / story: 1080 × 1920 px, RGB
• Instagram feed: 1080 × 1350 px, RGB

If you'd rather not deal with sizes at all, our flyer and print design service delivers every format you need, ready to share and ready to print. See examples in the e-flyer gallery.