Japanese Poster
Make a poster in a Japanese graphic style with your own words. Your headline is set in upright letters down vertical columns, one word per column, read from the right (or from the left), in a lane the shapes never cross. Beside it, pick one of five layouts of flat colour fields and circles (one large disc, a disc setting on a horizon, colour blocks with a disc, three circles on a diagonal, or a seeded grid of squares and circles) in one of six colourways. You can type English or Japanese, Chinese or Korean characters; the latter are drawn with your device’s own fonts. Your second line and details sit at the foot. Pick a size from A5 to A1 or US Letter to 24 × 36 in and download a PDF at the real size, a proof, a PNG or an SVG. Nothing is uploaded.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
The poster-size PDF is the real size you pick (print it at 100% on that paper, or send it to a print shop). The proof fits the whole poster on one US Letter or A4 page with a 2 cm check bar. PNG at 72, 150 or 300 DPI; SVG in millimetres.
Japanese-style poster
Your text
Poster size
Proof PDF
You can type Japanese, Chinese or Korean characters: they are drawn with your device’s own fonts.
Runs in your browser with our own code: nothing you type is uploaded or saved. The colour fields, discs and grid are geometry we draw ourselves, and every word on the poster is yours. You may use what you make here, including commercially, with no credit needed.
How to make a Japanese-style poster
- Pick a preset, or a layout and colours.
- Type your headline (each word becomes a column), a second line and up to six lines of details.
- Put the vertical headline on the right or the left; for the grid layout press New grid until you like it.
- Pick the poster size and orientation; the letters are sized so every column fits its lane.
- Download the PDF at poster size, a Letter / A4 proof, the PNG or the SVG.
What you can use it for
- Tea ceremonies, garden days and cultural evenings
- Restaurant, bar and menu posters
- Language-club and class notices
- Wall prints with a short word or name
- Exhibition and craft-fair posters
- Social posts from the PNG
The 14 presets
| Preset | Layout | Colours | Size | Headline side | Default headline | Columns | Letter size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large disc, paper white, A3 | One large disc | Paper white, indigo and red | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | Right | Autumn Tea Gathering | 3 | 75.6 pt |
| Large disc, ink black, A2 | One large disc | Ink black with a red disc | A2 (420 × 594 mm) | Right | Ink Works | 2 | 152.4 pt |
| Setting disc, indigo, A3 | Disc setting on a horizon | Indigo with a red disc | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | Right | Harbour Lights | 2 | 123.1 pt |
| Setting disc, type lane on the left, A3 | Disc setting on a horizon | Ochre, black and red | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | Left | Autumn Tea Gathering | 3 | 75.6 pt |
| Colour fields, green tea, A3 | Flat colour fields and a disc | Green tea and coral | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | Right | Garden Open Day | 3 | 80.4 pt |
| Colour fields, indigo, 18 × 24 in | Flat colour fields and a disc | Indigo with a red disc | 18 × 24 in | Right | Autumn Tea Gathering | 3 | 115.8 pt |
| Three circles, blossom pink, A3 | Three circles on a diagonal | Blossom pink and plum | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | Right | Spring Recital | 2 | 123.1 pt |
| Three circles, paper white, Tabloid | Three circles on a diagonal | Paper white, indigo and red | Tabloid (11 × 17 in) | Right | Autumn Tea Gathering | 3 | 71.1 pt |
| Grid of squares, paper white, A3 | Grid of flat squares and circles (seeded) | Paper white, indigo and red | A3 (297 × 420 mm) | Right | Print Fair | 2 | 134.9 pt |
| Grid of squares, ink black, A2 | Grid of flat squares and circles (seeded) | Ink black with a red disc | A2 (420 × 594 mm) | Right | Autumn Tea Gathering | 3 | 105.7 pt |
| Large disc, A4 flyer | One large disc | Ochre, black and red | A4 (210 × 297 mm) | Right | Autumn Tea Gathering | 3 | 54.1 pt |
| Colour fields, US Letter | Flat colour fields and a disc | Paper white, indigo and red | US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) | Right | Autumn Tea Gathering | 3 | 54.1 pt |
| Setting disc, landscape A3 | Disc setting on a horizon | Paper white, indigo and red | A3 (297 × 420 mm), landscape | Right | Autumn Tea Gathering | 3 | 71.1 pt |
| Three circles, A1 | Three circles on a diagonal | Indigo with a red disc | A1 (594 × 841 mm) | Right | Autumn Tea Gathering | 3 | 152.4 pt |
Presets change the layout, colours, side and size; your own text stays as you typed it.
Columns and letter size by headline
| Size | Tea | Autumn Tea Gathering | Harbour Lights at Night | 秋の茶会 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A4 | 1 col., 188.6 pt | 3 col., 54.1 pt | 4 col., 41.1 pt | 1 col., 115.8 pt |
| A3 | 1 col., 263.6 pt | 3 col., 75.6 pt | 4 col., 57.5 pt | 1 col., 166.9 pt |
| A2 | 1 col., 380 pt | 3 col., 105.7 pt | 4 col., 80.4 pt | 1 col., 233.4 pt |
| 24 × 36 in | 1 col., 582 pt | 3 col., 157.1 pt | 4 col., 119.4 pt | 1 col., 336.4 pt |
Letter size is the size the headline gets in the one-large-disc layout with the headline on the right.
The five layouts
| Layout | What is in it |
|---|---|
| One large disc | One disc a little above the middle of the picture area |
| Disc setting on a horizon | A half disc sitting on a coloured lower field, with three short lines under it |
| Flat colour fields and a disc | A tall colour block, a low colour block and a disc between them |
| Three circles on a diagonal | Three circles of falling size running down a diagonal |
| Grid of flat squares and circles (seeded) | Square cells filled with flat squares, circles or half circles, chosen by the seed |
The colours
| Colours | Ground | Field 1 | Field 2 | Disc | Headline | Small type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper white, indigo and red | #f3ecdf | #1f2a44 | #c8b48a | #c0392b | #1a1a1a | #1a1a1a |
| Indigo with a red disc | #1f2a44 | #3e5c8a | #e9e1d0 | #d1495b | #f3ecdf | #f3ecdf |
| Ink black with a red disc | #111111 | #3a3a3a | #bfb7a6 | #d62828 | #f5f0e6 | #f5f0e6 |
| Green tea and coral | #e4e8d4 | #6b8f5a | #2f4a3a | #e07a5f | #1d2b22 | #1d2b22 |
| Blossom pink and plum | #fbe9ec | #e8a0b4 | #5b3a4a | #c0392b | #3b2430 | #3b2430 |
| Ochre, black and red | #e8c170 | #2b2b2b | #f4ead5 | #b23a2a | #1e1e1e | #1e1e1e |
Poster sizes and safe area
| Size | Poster | Safe area (each edge) | PNG at 150 DPI | PNG at 300 DPI | Proof on US Letter | Proof on A4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A5 | 148 × 210 mm | 7.4 mm | 874 × 1240 px | 1748 × 2480 px | 112.4 % | 120.7 % |
| A4 | 210 × 297 mm | 10.5 mm | 1240 × 1754 px | 2480 × 3508 px | 79.5 % | 85 % |
| A3 | 297 × 420 mm | 14.9 mm | 1754 × 2480 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 56.2 % | 60.1 % |
| A2 | 420 × 594 mm | 21 mm | 2480 × 3508 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 39.7 % | 42.5 % |
| A1 | 594 × 841 mm | 29.7 mm | 3508 × 4967 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 28.1 % | 30.1 % |
| US Letter | 215.9 × 279.4 mm | 10.8 mm | 1275 × 1650 px | 2550 × 3300 px | 84.5 % | 82.7 % |
| Tabloid | 279.4 × 431.8 mm | 14 mm | 1650 × 2550 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 54.7 % | 58.7 % |
| 18 × 24 in | 457.2 × 609.6 mm | 22.9 mm | 2700 × 3600 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 38.7 % | 39.1 % |
| 24 × 36 in | 609.6 × 914.4 mm | 30.5 mm | 3600 × 5400 px | use 150 DPI or the PDF | 25.8 % | 27.7 % |
Browsers cap a picture at about 16.7 million pixels, so the biggest sizes stop at 150 DPI as PNG; the PDF has no such limit and is drawn at the real size.
What you can download
| Download | What is in it |
|---|---|
| PDF at poster size | One page the size of the poster (real size), shapes and real, selectable text |
| Proof PDF | The whole poster fitted on one US Letter or A4 page, with a thin trim line and a 2 cm check bar |
| PNG | The poster as a picture at 72, 150 or 300 DPI |
| SVG | Shapes and text in millimetres, to edit further |
Which tool to use
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| A vertical headline beside flat colour fields | Japanese Poster (this page) |
| Seamless Japanese repeat patterns | Japanese Pattern Generator |
| An exhibition poster around your own picture | Museum Poster |
| A grid-based poster with a turned headline | Swiss Style Poster |
| Any poster from a photo and your text | Poster Maker |
Other tools: the Poster Maker lays out a poster around your own photo, the Color Palette Generator finds colours that go together, and Poster Tiler splits a big poster over sheets of paper.
More free tools
Posters, colour and print?
Design tools that run privately in your browser, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
How is the vertical headline set?
Each word starts a new column and its letters run top to bottom, upright and centred on the column. A word longer than a column runs on into the next. Columns go from the right edge leftwards (or from the left, if you pick that side).
Can I type Japanese?
Yes. Japanese, Chinese and Korean characters are drawn with the fonts on your device, so they look as they do in your other apps. In the PDF they are sharp pictures of the letters, because the built-in PDF font has only Latin letters.
How does it make sure the letters fit?
Every letter’s box, using the font’s full height above and below the baseline, must lie inside the lane. The tool tries large sizes first and shrinks until every column fits, never below 4 % of the poster’s short side; if it still does not fit, it asks you to shorten the headline.
What does the seed do?
Only the grid layout uses it: which cells are squares, circles or half circles, and their colours, come from a seeded random sequence, so the same seed always gives the same poster.
Is this a copy of a known poster?
No. The fields, discs and grid are plain geometry we draw ourselves; there are no artist names, likenesses or copied prints.
What is the safe area?
A border of 5 % of the poster’s short side. No letter comes closer to the edge than that, so trimming never cuts into the type. Pictures and shapes may run to the edge.
Which sizes can I print?
A5, A4, A3, A2 and A1, US Letter, Tabloid (11 × 17 in), 18 × 24 in and 24 × 36 in, portrait or landscape. The PDF page is the poster at its real size.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit; the note under the tool says how you may use what you make.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The poster is drawn by JavaScript in your browser. Nothing you add or type is sent anywhere or saved when you close the page.