Prepressure

Prepress, printing, PDF, PostScript, fonts and stuff…

☰ Search …

Paper sizes
This list of the common American and European paper sizes includes the ISO standards,
which are used globally. All dimensions are specified in inches, millimeters as well as
PostScript points (1/72 inch, always rounded off). The overview covers:
ISO page sizes – The ISO A series is the most frequently used page measurement
standard. It includes the DIN A4 format. The ISO B sizes are used for poster printing
while ISO C is meant for envelopes. The SRA standard defines press sheet sizes and
is used in the printing industry.
American paper size dimensions – such as ‘Letter’, ‘Legal’ and the ANSI series.
English sheet sizes – with a focus on formats for writing paper and book printing.
Newspaper sizes

ISO A paper sizes

The A-series consists of a logical set of paper sizes that are defined by the ISO 216
standard. The largest size (A0) measures one square meter. The height/width ratio remains
constant (1:1.41) for all sizes. This means you get the A1 size by folding an A0 paper in two
along its shortest side. Then fold the A1 size in two to get an A2 size paper, and so on… A-
sizes are used to define the finished paper size in commercial printing: A4 is for office
documents, A5 is for notepads and A6 is for postcards.
Millimeters Inches Points
Width Height Width Height Width Height
A0 841 1189 33.11 46.81 2384 3370
A1 594 841 23.39 33.11 1684 2384
A2 420 594 16.54 23.39 1190 1684
A3 297 420 11.69 16.54 842 1190
A4 210 297 8.27 11.69 595 842
A5 148 210 5.83 8.27 420 595
A6 105 148 4.13 5.83 298 420
A7 74 105 2.91 4.13 210 298
A8 52 74 2.05 2.91 148 210

This drawing illustrates the principle behind the ISO A series:

ISO B paper sizes
The same logic from the A-sizes also applies for the B-series, except here the starting point
was the dimension of one of the sides, which starts at 1 meter. B-sizes are often used for
posters.
Millimeters Inches Points
Width Height Width Height Width Height
B0 1000 1414 39.37 55.67 2835 4008
B1 707 1000 27.83 39.37 2004 2835
B2 500 707 19.69 27.83 1417 2004
B3 353 500 13.90 19.69 1001 1417
B4 250 353 9.84 13.90 709 1001
B5 176 250 6.93 9.84 499 709
B6 125 176 4.92 6.93 354 499
B7 88 125 3.46 4.92 249 354
B8 62 88 2.44 3.46 176 249
B9 44 62 1.73 2.44 125 176
B10 31 44 1.22 1.73 88 125

ISO C paper sizes

C-sizes are used for envelopes to match the A-series paper. I have omitted unrealistic sizes
like C0 (imagine an envelope measuring 917 by 1297 millimeters).
Millimeters Inches Points
 Width Height Width Height Width Height
C2 648 458 25.51 18.03 1837 578
C3 458 324 18.03 12.76 578 919
C4 324 229 12.76 9.02 919 649
C5 229 162 9.02 6.38 649 459
C6 162 114 6.38 4.49 459 323

ISO D paper sizes

I have no idea what D-sizes are used for but the standard is there so it should be
mentioned.
Millimeters Inches Points
Width Height Width Height Width Height
D0 1090 771 42.91 30.35 3090 2186

ISO RA & SRA paper sizes

These oversized papersizes are used by printers. The dimensions in millimetres are
rounded to the nearest value.
Millimeters Inches Points
Width Height Width Height Width Height
SRA0 1280 900 50.39 35.43 3628 2551
SRA1 900 640 35.43 25.20 2551 1814
SRA2 640 450 25.20 17.72 1814 1276
SRA3 450 320 17.72 12.60 1276 907
SRA4 320 225 12.60 8.86 907 638
RA0 1220 860 48.03 33.86 3458 2438
RA1 860 610 33.86 24.02 2438 1729
RA2 610 430 24.02 16.93 1729 1219

American paper sizes

The US and Canada do not use the international standards but instead rely on the paper
sizes below. The ANSI standard was added in 1995 to create a set of sizes that are based on
shared dimensions. It lacks however the consistent aspect ratio of the ISO A-series.
Millimeters Inches Points
Width Height Width Height Width Height
Letter (ANSI A) 215.9 279.4 8.5 11 612 792
Legal 215.9 355.6 8.5 14 612 1008
Ledger (ANSI B) 279.4 431.8 11 17 792 1224
Tabloid (ANSI B) 431.8 279.4 17 11 1224 792
Executive 184.1 266.7 7.25 10.55 522 756
ANSI C 559 432 22 17 1584 1224
ANSI D 864 559 34 22 2448 1584
ANSI E 1118 864 44 34 3168 2448

English paper sizes (writing papers)

The English nowadays use the A-sizes for office and general use. I have no idea whether
many of these definitions are still in use today. Imperial and half-imperial still seem to be
widely used by artists.
Millimeters Inches Points
Width Height Width Height Width Height
Foolscap 336 419 13.25 16.5 954 1188
Small Post 368 469 14.5 18.5 1044 1332
Sheet and 1/3 cap 336 588 13.25 22 954 1584
Sheet and 1/2 cap 336 628 13.25 24.75 954 1782
Demy 394 507 15.5 20 1116 1440
Large Post 419 533 16.5 21 1188 1512
Small medium 444 558 17.5 22 1260 1584
Medium 457 584 18 23 1296 1656
Small Royal 482 609 19 24 1368 1728
Royal 507 634 20 25 1440 1800
Imperial 559 761 22 30 1584 2160

UK metric book printing sizes

For books A-sizes often aren’t used because A4 is too large and A5 too small. Metric Royal
Octavo and Metric Crown Quarto are 2 frequently used sizes that are more comfortable to
hold and read.
Millimeters Inches Points
Width Height Width Height Width Height
Metric Crown Quarto 189 246 7 7/16 9 11/16 536 697
Metric Crown Octavo 123 186 4 13/16 7 5/16 349 527
Metric Large Crown Quarto 201 258 7 7/8 10 3/16 570 731
Metric Large Crown Octavo 129 198 5 1/16 7 13/16 366 561
Metric Demy Quarto 219 276 8 5/8 10 7/8 621 782
Metric Demy Octavo 138 216 5 7/16 8 1/2 391 612
Metric Royal Quarto 237 312 9 5/16 12 1/4 672 884
Metric Royal Octavo 129 198 5 1/16 7 13/16 366 561

Newspaper sizes
The dimensions of newspaper pages are not that strictly defined, so the average or most
frequently used size is mentioned.
Millimeters Inches Points
Width Height Width Height Width Height
Berliner or Midi ± 315 ± 470 ± 12.4 ± 18.5 ± 893 ± 1332
Broadsheet ± 597 ± 749 ± 23.5 ± 29.5 ± 1692 ± 2124
Compact or Tabloid ± 280 ± 430 ± 11 ± 16.9 ± 792 ± 1217
Rhenish ± 355 ± 520 ± 13.97 ± 20.47 ± 1006 ± 1474

Other sources of information

There are a number of other web sites that list paper sizes and their use. Check them out if
you need a second opinion
Wikipedia
Papersizes.org

95 thoughts on “Paper sizes”

1. Bear says:
May 4, 2023 at 11:08 pm
Here’s some info (for US readers) that might save them some frustration.
Until recently it wasn’t that hard to find 3-hole punched half-letter/statement/note-
size paper in both office supply stores and places like Walmart and Target. It was a
convenient size – not as bulky as standard letter size paper – but still large enough to
hold a reasonable amount of notes. Finally the paper was punched and decent
binders were affordable so it was easy to keep the information up-to-date. I’ve used
plenty of spiral-bound notebooks of the same size but one of the aggrevations is
that you can’t insert pages or move them around. So they get ‘fuzzy’ with all of the