How to print a big family tree chart: choosing between A3, A2, A1 and roll paper, PNG versus SVG and PDF, resolution, fonts and where to get a poster printed.

A family tree with three hundred people does not fit on a sheet of A4. Printing it well is mostly a matter of choosing the right file format and paper size before you press print. Here is what works.

Vector or raster?

A chart exists in two kinds of file:

  • Vector (SVG or PDF): boxes, lines and text are stored as shapes. The file can be printed at any size without becoming blurry. This is what you want for a poster.
  • Raster (PNG or JPEG): a grid of pixels. Fine for screens and for small prints, but a 2,000-pixel-wide image stretched to one metre looks soft.

PrintFamilyTree exports both. Use the SVG or the PDF for anything larger than A3, and the PNG for e-mail, social media and quick previews.

Choosing the paper size

Measure the chart. A box with a name and dates is about 4 cm wide at a comfortable reading size, and a generation is about 3 cm tall including the lines. For a chart that is 40 boxes wide and 7 generations tall you need roughly 160 × 21 cm plus margins: a strip of roll paper, not a rectangle.

Common options:

  • A3 (29.7 × 42 cm): up to about 60 people in an hourglass chart.
  • A2 (42 × 59.4 cm): up to about 150 people.
  • A1 (59.4 × 84.1 cm): up to about 300 people.
  • A0 (84.1 × 118.9 cm) or roll paper (91 cm wide by any length): for everything larger.

If the chart is much wider than it is tall, ask the print shop for roll paper cut to length. It is cheaper than A0 and matches the shape of a descendant chart.

Minimum readable size

Names should be printed at least 2.5 mm tall (about 7 points) for a poster read from arm's length, and 3.5 mm for a wall chart. If the chart only fits by shrinking below that, split it: print the ancestors on one sheet and each child's descendants on another, with the shared person marked on both.

Fonts and lines

Keep a single clean sans-serif typeface for boxes; it survives small sizes better than a serif. Lines should be at least 0.3 mm wide (about 1 point) so that they remain visible after the printer's ink spreads. Our default export uses these values.

Colour and paper

Light box fills and dark text print well on plain white or cream paper. Avoid dark backgrounds; they cost ink and hide fold marks. For a wall chart, ask for matte paper or a matte laminate to avoid reflections, and 120–160 g/m² weight so that it hangs flat.

Where to print

  • Copy shops and architects' plotting services print roll paper and large sheets from a PDF at low cost.
  • Online poster printers accept PDF and high-resolution PNG and ship rolled in a tube.
  • Home printers can print A3 at best; use poster or tiling mode to print a larger chart across several sheets and tape them together, which works well for a draft.

Before you send the file

  • Check that the page size in the PDF matches the paper you ordered.
  • Print one A4 section at 100% scale to check the text size.
  • Have someone else look for spelling mistakes; a poster is not easily corrected.

A properly sized vector chart on matte paper, framed or hung on a rail, is one of the most appreciated gifts a family historian can give.

Print your own family tree

PrintFamilyTree turns a GEDCOM file into a clean, printable chart and a family history book draft. Leave your e-mail address to be told when it opens.

Get notified at launch