What are the sizes of paper?
International Paper Sizes A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10. The international paper size standard is ISO 216. It is based on the German DIN 476 standard for paper sizes. ISO paper sizes are all based on a single aspect ratio of the square root of 2, or approximately 1:1.41421. There are different series, as well as several extensions. The following international paper sizes are included in Cascading Style Sheets (CSS): A3, A4, A5, B4, B5. International paper size standards govern the size of sheets of paper used as writing paper, restaurant menus, stationery, business cards, flyers, posters, brochures and for some printed documents.
International Paper Sizes A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10.
A series
There are 11 sizes in the A series, designated A0–A10, all of which have an aspect ratio of , where a is the long side and b is the short side. Since A series sizes share the same aspect ratio (√2), they can be scaled to other A series sizes without being distorted, and two sheets can be reduced to fit on exactly one sheet without any cutoff or margins.
The dimensions of the A series paper sizes, as defined by the ISO 216 standard, are given in the table below the diagram in both millimetres and inches (cm measurements can be obtained by dividing mm value by 10). The A Series paper size chart, below left, gives a visual representation of how the sizes relate to each other – for example A5 is half of A4 size paper and A2 is half of A1 size paper.
A series | A size in mm (Millimeters) | A size in cm (Centimeters) | A size in in (Inches) |
|---|---|---|---|
Paper | Metric | Metric | Imperial |
A0 | 841 x 1189 mm | 84.1 x 118.9 cm | 33.1 x 46.8 in |
A1 | 594 x 841 mm | 59.4 x 84.1 cm | 23.4 x 33.1 in |
A2 | 420 x 594 mm | 42 x 59.4 cm | 16.5 x 23.4 in |
A3 | 297 x 420 mm | 29.7 x 42 cm | 11.7 x 16.5 in |
A4 | 210 x 297 mm | 21 x 29.7 cm | 8.3 x 11.7 in |
A5 | 148 x 210 mm | 14.8 x 21 mm | 5.8 x 8.3 in |
A6 | 105 x 148 mm | 10.5 x 14.8 cm | 4.1 x 5.8 in |
A7 | 74 x 105 mm | 7.4 x 10.5 cm | 2.9 x 4.1 in |
A8 | 52 x 74 mm | 5.2 x 7.4 cm | 2.0 x 2.9 in |
A9 | 37 x 52 mm | 3.7 x 5.2 cm | 1.5 x 2.0 in |
A10 | 26 x 37 mm | 2.6 x 3.7 cm | 1.0 x 1.5 in |
Letter size | 216 × 279 mm | 21.6 × 27.9 cm | 8.5 × 11 in |
International Paper Sizes in cm, mm and in A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10.
What is A2 paper size used for?
A2 format is widely used for medium size posters, architectural drawings, diagrams and calendars. This is a format that requires a very expensive printer, which is why most A2 are still printed by professionals. The A2 size is equivalent to ¼ of A0 or ½ of A1 (larger sizes) or 2 A3 sheets, 4 A4 sheets … (smaller sizes).
A2 Dimensions
A2 measures 420 × 594 millimeters or 16.54 × 23.39 inches. In PostScript, its dimensions are rounded off to 1190 × 1684 points.
Resolution needed to print an A2 size picture
To output an image properly it needs to have a certain minimum resolution. The number of pixels depends on the required output quality.
- At 300 ppi (pixels per inch) the image needs to be 4960 x 7016 pixels. This is the required resolution for quality offset printing that will be viewed from a short distance (such as books, brochures, magazines, calendars,…). For photos, it is also the optimum resolution but a somewhat lower pixel count (200 to 220 dpi) is acceptable for great-looking photographs.
- At 150 ppi the image needs to be 2480 x 3508 pixels. This is the minimum resolution for newspapers or posters viewed from a fairly short distance.
A digital camera with decent image quality and a resolution of 16 megapixels or more can be used to print high-quality A2 size pictures. Since such posters are usually viewed from a somewhat larger distance a 12-megapixel camera will still offer excellent quality and 8 megapixels will be considered good by many.
What is A3 paper size used for?
A3 format is widely used for posters, architectural drawings, diagrams and calendars. It is also frequently used in laser printers to output two A4 pages as a spread.
What size is A3 paper?
A3 paper is 297 by 420 millimeters, approximately 11.7 by 16.5 inches.
What is A4 paper size used for?
A4 is a paper size that is used for a wide range of documents, including magazines, catalogs, letters and forms. To many people worldwide, excluding North America and Canada, the most familiar paper size size is A4 (a familiar 210mm x 297mm). It is commonly used for letters and correspondence in the UK and it is the standard paper size for most home printers. It is the standard copy paper sheet and can be used in most home and office printers. The size is printable in most common home and office printers and has become the standard copy paper sheet.
Resolution needed to print an A4 size picture
The recommended minimum resolution for A4 photo printing is 3510 x 2490 pixels.
Should I use A4 or letter?
Unless you have a very strong US-biased group of clients, use A4. A4 is an international standard, while Letter is only used in the US and Canada.
What size is A4 paper in inches?
An A4 piece of paper measures 210 × 297 mm or 8.3 × 11.7 inches.
A4 Size Shisha menu
A4 Size Magazine
What is A5 paper size used for?
A5 paper size can be used for notepads, flyers, stationery, invitations, pocket books and more. Dimensions: A5 measures 148 × 210 millimeters or 5.83 × 8.27 inches.
What is A6 paper size used for?
The A6 sheet size measures at 105 x 148 mm. Which makes it a popular material of choice for producing postcards, small brochures, or flyers. Sometimes, these are used to create small pocketbooks, library microfiches and toilet paper.
B series
B0, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, B10
The B series paper sizes are less common than the A series.
They have the same aspect ratio of A series:
However, they have a different area. The area of B series sheets is in fact the geometric mean of successive A series sheets. B1 is between A0 and A1 in size, with an area of 0.707 m2 (1⁄√2 m2). As a result, B0 is 1 metre wide, and other sizes of the series are a half, a quarter or further fractions of a metre wide: in general, every B size has one of its sides 1⁄power of two meters long. That side is the short side for B0, B2, B4, etc. and the long side for B1, B3, B5, etc. The B-series is widely used in the printing industry to describe both paper sizes and printing press sizes, including digital presses. B3 paper is used to print two US letter or A4 pages side by side using imposition; four pages would be printed on B2, eight on B1, etc.
C series
C0, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, C9, C10
The C series is defined in ISO 269, which was withdrawn in 2009 without a replacement, but is still specified in several national standards. It is primarily used for envelopes. The area of C series sheets is the geometric mean of the areas of the A and B series sheets of the same number; for instance, the area of a C4 sheet is the geometric mean of the areas of an A4 sheet and a B4 sheet. This means that C4 is slightly larger than A4, and slightly smaller than B4. The practical usage of this is that a letter written on A4 paper fits inside a C4 envelope, and both A4 and C4 paper fits inside a B4 envelope.
Some envelope formats with mixed sides from adjacent sizes (and thus an approximate aspect ratio of 2:1) are also defined in national adaptations of the ISO standard, e.g. DIN C6/C5 (also known as C65) is 114 mm × 229 mm where the common side to C5 and C6 is 162 mm.
ISO international paper sizes
(with rounded inch values)
| Format | A series | B series | C series | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | mm × mm | inch × inch | mm × mm | inch × inch | mm × mm | inch × inch |
| 0 | 841 × 1,189 | 33+1⁄8 × 46+19⁄24 | 1,000 × 1,414 | 39+3⁄8 × 55+2⁄3 | 917 × 1,297 | 36+1⁄12 × 51+1⁄12 |
| 1 | 594 × 841 | 23+3⁄8 × 33+1⁄8 | 707 × 1,000 | 27+5⁄6 × 39+3⁄8 | 648 × 917 | 25+1⁄2 × 36+1⁄12 |
| 2 | 420 × 594 | 16+13⁄24 × 23+3⁄8 | 500 × 707 | 19+2⁄3 × 27+5⁄6 | 458 × 648 | 18+1⁄24 × 25+1⁄2 |
| 3 | 297 × 420 | 11+17⁄24 × 16+13⁄24 | 353 × 500 | 13+11⁄12 × 19+2⁄3 | 324 × 458 | 12+3⁄4 × 18+1⁄24 |
| 4 | 210 × 297 | 8+1⁄4 × 11+17⁄24 | 250 × 353 | 9+5⁄6 × 13+11⁄12 | 229 × 324 | 9 × 12+3⁄4 |
| 5 | 148 × 210 | 5+5⁄6 × 8+1⁄4 | 176 × 250 | 6+11⁄12 × 9+5⁄6 | 162 × 229 | 6+3⁄8 × 9 |
| 6 | 105 × 148 | 4+1⁄8 × 5+5⁄6 | 125 × 176 | 4+11⁄12 × 6+11⁄12 | 114 × 162 | 4+1⁄2 × 6+3⁄8 |
| 7 | 74 × 105 | 2+11⁄12 × 4+1⁄8 | 88 × 125 | 3+11⁄24 × 4+11⁄12 | 81 × 114 | 3+5⁄24 × 4+1⁄2 |
| 8 | 52 × 74 | 2+1⁄24 × 2+11⁄12 | 62 × 88 | 2+11⁄24 × 3+11⁄24 | 57 × 81 | 2+1⁄4 × 3+5⁄24 |
| 9 | 37 × 52 | 1+11⁄24 × 2+1⁄24 | 44 × 62 | 1+3⁄4 × 2+11⁄24 | 40 × 57 | 1+7⁄12 × 2+1⁄4 |
| 10 | 26 × 37 | 1+1⁄24 × 1+11⁄24 | 31 × 44 | 1+5⁄24 × 1+3⁄4 | 28 × 40 | 1+1⁄12 × 1+7⁄12 |
| i | ||||||
![{\displaystyle \alpha _{A}=({\sqrt[{4}]{2}}\cdot 1000)\,{\text{mm}};r={\frac {1}{\sqrt {2}}}}](https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/media/math/render/svg/68047ec4302bad866cc786f974b57ae12518accb "International Paper Sizes A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10 11")
![{\displaystyle \alpha _{C}=({\sqrt[{8}]{8}}\cdot 1000)\,{\text{mm}};r={\frac {1}{\sqrt {2}}}}](https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/media/math/render/svg/917369f17b72cbe1616e1a0473cbfe5d6e257bd1 "International Paper Sizes A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10 13")
The variables are the distinct first terms in the three geometric progressions of the same common-ratio equal to the square r
Applications
Paper can be produced with a wide variety of properties, depending on its intended use.
- For representing value: paper money, bank note, cheque, security (see security paper), voucher, ticket
- For storing information: book, notebook, graph paper, punched card, photographic paper
- For published materials, publications, and reading materials: books, newspapers, magazines, posters, pamphlets, maps, signs, labels, advertisements, billboards.
- For individual use: diary, notebooks, writing pads, memo pads journals, planners, note to remind oneself, etc.; for temporary personal use: scratch paper
- For business and professional use: copier paper, ledger paper, typing paper, computer printer paper. Specialized paper for forms and documents such as invoices, receipts, tickets, vouchers, bills, contracts, official forms, agreements.
- For communication: between individuals and/or groups of people: magazine, newspaper, art, zine, letter, newsprint, card stock
- For organizing and sending documents: envelopes, file folders, packaging, pocket folders, partition folders.
- For packaging: corrugated box, paper bag, envelope, wrapping paper, paper string
- For cleaning: toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissue.
- For food utensils and containers: paper plates and paper cups, beverage cartons, tea bags, condiments, food packaging, coffee filters, cupcake cups.
- For construction: papier-mâché, origami paper, paper planes, quilling, paper honeycomb, sandpaper, used as a core material in composite materials, paper engineering, construction paper, paper yarn, and paper clothing
- For other uses: emery paper, blotting paper, litmus paper, universal indicator paper, paper chromatography, electrical insulation paper (see also fishpaper), filter paper, wallpaper
