Art Gallery Placard Template
Make art gallery placards, museum labels and art show labels for a whole show. Type a work’s title, artist, year, medium and size, choose a layout, and the text fits itself to the label. Paste a list of works from a spreadsheet and you get one label each, laid out on US Letter or A4 with crop marks. Download a true-size PDF, a 300 DPI PNG of each label, or a list of works for the front desk. Free, with no sign-up and no watermark. The sample artists and works are invented, and your list stays on your device.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Your list is saved on your device; nothing is uploaded.
See the print sheet
Works
Paste a list of works
Layout
Colour and edge
Size and price
Printing
Your list stays on your device: it is saved in this browser only and never uploaded. Sample artists and works are invented.
How to make a gallery placard
- Type the first work’s details, or paste a list of works from a spreadsheet.
- Choose a layout and a label size. The text fits itself to the label.
- Check the note under the preview. It shows the type size and warns if the text gets small.
- Set the lettering, colours and edge. Choose how sizes are written: as typed, in centimetres, in inches or both.
- Open “See the print sheet” to check how many labels fit on your paper.
- Download the PDF and print at 100% (Actual size). Cut along the crop marks and mount the labels on card or foam board.
What you can use it for
- Wall labels for a gallery show or open studio
- Museum object labels for a small collection
- Art show labels for a school, club or fair
- Price cards for an art sale
- Labels for a student degree show
- A list of works for the front desk
What goes on a museum label
Museums and galleries write labels in slightly different ways, but they share the same core. The guides we read agree on the first five fields below, and the short version is often called a tombstone.
| Field | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Artist | Maren Holloway-Tice | Often with nationality or life dates |
| Title and year | Low Tide at Harrow Quay, 2024 | The title is usually in italics here |
| Medium | Oil on linen | Name the actual materials |
| Size | 60 × 45 cm | Height × width × depth, the work and not the frame |
| Credit | Courtesy of the artist | Where the work came from |
| Number | MG-014 | A catalogue or accession number, for your records |
| Price | Optional | For selling shows |
| Note | Optional | Who, what, when and how, in a few plain sentences |
The artist, title and details in the example are invented.
Placard layouts
- Museum label: the classic left-aligned tombstone
- Label with a note: the tombstone plus a short text, best at 6 × 4 in or larger
- Gallery price card: title first, with price and number
- Centred: a formal look for small shows
- Big artist name: for solo shows and student work
- Framed plaque: a centred label with a double line
How many labels fit on a sheet
With an 8 mm page margin and a 4 mm gap. A 5 × 3 in label fits 3 to a Letter sheet wide and 4 tall, so turning it can save paper.
| Label | Size | Letter, wide | A4, wide | Letter, tall | A4, tall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 × 3 in | 127 × 76.2 mm | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| 3.5 × 2 in | 88.9 × 50.8 mm | 8 | 10 | 6 | 9 |
| 6 × 4 in | 152.4 × 101.6 mm | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 × 5 in | 177.8 × 127 mm | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| A6 (148 × 105 mm) | 148 × 105 mm | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| A5 (210 × 148 mm) | 210 × 148 mm | Too wide | Too wide | 1 | 1 |
| 8 × 4 in | 203.2 × 101.6 mm | Too wide | Too wide | 1 | 1 |
What the guides say about type and hanging
| Topic | Guidance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Smallest type | 12 pt or larger | Purdue Galleries |
| Type size | At least 18 pt, larger beyond 1 m viewing distance | Museums & Galleries of NSW |
| Typeface | An easy-to-read face, such as Helvetica, Verdana or Arial | Purdue Galleries; Museums & Galleries of NSW |
| Colour | Black text on white, cream or clear | Museums & Galleries of NSW |
| Length | 70 to 80 words on artwork labels, 100 to 200 on introductory panels | Museums & Galleries of NSW |
| Height | Between 1 m and 150 cm, the same through the show | Museums & Galleries of NSW |
| Size of the work | Height × width × depth, of the work and not the frame | The Practical Art World |
These are guides from particular organisations, not one rule, and they differ. At 18 pt a five-line label needs far more room than a 3.5 × 2 in card has, so choose the guide that suits your room and your visitors. If your venue has its own rules, follow those.
Mounting your labels
Print on card, or print on adhesive paper and stick it to mat board or foam board, then trim it flush with a ruler and craft knife. Labels stuck straight onto a wall can look rough unless the wall is smooth. Small labels can go up with a removable adhesive putty. Ask the venue what it allows on its walls.
Planning the hang? The Gallery Wall Planner helps you space the works. For an entrance sign or a show poster, try the Sign Maker or Poster Maker. Table displays can use the Table Tent Template.
Sources, read 6-Nov-2026: Purdue Galleries signage guide, Museums & Galleries of NSW, Exhibition Labelling, The Practical Art World, How to label artwork, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, What’s in a label?.
More free tools for a show
Hanging an exhibition?
Plan the wall, make the signs and print the table cards: free tools that run in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing uploaded.
See all free tools →Frequently asked questions
What goes on an art gallery placard?
Usually the artist’s name, the title of the work, the year, the medium and the size. Many labels add a price, a credit line or a short note. The layouts here cover all of those, and any field left blank is left off.
What size should a gallery placard be?
There’s no single standard size, and the guides we read don’t set one. Pick a size that holds your text at a readable type size. The 5 × 3 in label is the default here, and 6 × 4 in suits labels with a note.
What font size should a museum label use?
Guides differ. Purdue Galleries asks for 12 pt or larger, and Museums & Galleries of NSW suggests at least 18 pt, or larger if people stand more than a metre away. The tool shows your type size under the preview.
How do I write the size of an artwork?
Give height first, then width, then depth if it has one, such as 60 × 45 cm. Use the size of the work, not the frame. The tool can write it in centimetres, inches or both.
How many words should a label have?
Museums & Galleries of NSW suggests 70 to 80 words for an artwork label and 100 to 200 for an introductory panel. The tool counts the words in your note.
How high should labels hang?
Museums & Galleries of NSW suggests between 1 m and an eye level of 150 cm, close to the work, at the same height through the show.
Can I make labels for a whole show at once?
Yes. Add works one at a time, paste rows from a spreadsheet, or add a CSV file. Each work gets its own label, and you can add up to 500.
How do I print labels at the right size?
Print the PDF at 100% or Actual size, not Fit to page. Each sheet has a 50 mm bar, so you can check it with a ruler.
What if my text doesn’t fit?
The text gets smaller until it fits. If it would get too small, the tool leaves out the last lines and tells you, so you can pick a bigger label or shorten the text.
Can I use letters from other alphabets?
Yes. Any text your device can show works. Those labels are placed in the PDF as 400 DPI images, so the text can’t be selected.
Is my list uploaded?
No. It’s saved in this browser on this device, and nothing is sent anywhere. To move it, save it as a spreadsheet and add the file on the other device.
Are the sample artists real?
No. The sample artists and works are invented, so replace them with your own details.