Paper size

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Many paper size standards conventions have existed at

different times and in different countries. Today there
is one widespread international ISO standard
(including A4, B3, C4, etc.) and a local standard used
in North America (including letter, legal, ledger, etc.).
The paper sizes affect writing paper, stationery, cards,
and some printed documents. The standards also have
related sizes for envelopes.

Contents
◾ 1 Grain
◾ 2 The international standard: ISO 216 A size chart illustrating the ISO
◾ 2.1 A series A series and a comparison with
◾ 2.2 B series American letter and legal
◾ 2.3 C series formats.
◾ 2.4 German extensions
◾ 2.5 Swedish extensions
◾ 2.6 Japanese B-series variant
◾ 2.7 Colombian common sizes naming
◾ 3 North American paper sizes
◾ 3.1 Loose sizes
◾ 3.1.1 ANSI paper sizes
◾ 3.1.2 Architectural sizes
◾ 3.1.3 Other sizes
◾ 3.2 Tablet sizes
◾ 4 Traditional inch-based paper sizes
◾ 4.1 Traditional sizes for paper in the
United Kingdom
◾ 4.2 Demitab
◾ 5 Transitional paper sizes
◾ 5.1 PA series
◾ 5.2 Antiquarian
◾ 6 Other metric sizes
 ◾ 7 Newspaper sizes
◾ 8 See also
◾ 9 References
◾ 10 Further reading
◾ 11 External links

Grain
Most industry standards express the direction of the
grain last when giving dimensions (that is, 17×11
inches is short grain paper and 11×17 inches is long
grain paper), although alternatively the grain alignment
can be explicitly indicated with an underline (11×17 is
short grain) or the letter "M" for "machine" (11M×17 is
short grain). Grain is important because paper will Comparison of some paper and
crack if folded against the grain: for example, if a sheet photographic paper sizes close
17×11 inches is to be folded to divide the sheet into to the A4 size.
two 8.5×11 halves, then the grain should be along the
11-inch side.[1] Paper intended to be fed into a machine
that will bend the paper around rollers, such as a printing press, photocopier, or
typewriter, should be fed grain side first so that the axis of the rollers is along the grain.

The international standard: ISO 216

Main article: ISO 216

See switching costs, network effects and standardization for possible reasons for differing
regional adoption rates of the ISO standard sizes.

A series

The international paper size standard, ISO 216, is based on the German DIN 476 standard
for paper sizes. ISO paper sizes are all based on a single aspect ratio of square root of 2,
or approximately 1:1.4142. The base A0 size of paper is defined to have an area of 1 m2.
Rounded to millimetres, the A0 paper size is 841 by 1,189 millimetres (33.1 in × 46.8 in).
Successive paper sizes in the series A1, A2, A3, and so forth, are defined by halving the
preceding paper size along the larger dimension. The most frequently used paper size is
A4 measuring 210 by 297 millimetres (8.3 in × 11.7 in).

The significant advantage of this system is its scaling: if a sheet with an aspect ratio of
is divided into two equal halves parallel to its shortest sides, then the halves will
again have an aspect ratio of . Folded brochures of any size can be made by using
sheets of the next larger size, e.g. A4 sheets are folded to make A5 brochures. The system
allows scaling without compromising the aspect ratio from one size to another—as
provided by office photocopiers, e.g. enlarging A4 to A3 or reducing A3 to A4.
Similarly, two sheets of A4 can be scaled down and fit exactly 1 sheet without any cutoff
or margins. Weights are easy to calculate as well: a standard A4 sheet made from
80 gram/m2 paper weighs 5 grams (as it is one 16th of an A0 page, measuring 1 m2),
allowing one to easily compute the weight—and associated postage rate—by counting
the number of sheets used.

The advantages of basing a paper size upon an aspect ratio of were first noted in 1786
by the German scientist and philosopher Georg Christoph Lichtenberg.[2] Early in the
20th century, Dr Walter Porstmann turned Lichtenberg's idea into a proper system of
different paper sizes. Porstmann's system was introduced as a DIN standard (DIN 476) in
Germany in 1922, replacing a vast variety of other paper formats. Even today the paper
sizes are called "DIN A4" (pronounced: "deen-ah-fear") in everyday use in Germany and
Austria. The term Lichtenberg ratio has recently been proposed for this paper aspect
ratio.

According to some theorists, ISO 216 sizes are generally too tall and narrow for book
production (see: Canons of page construction). European book publishers typically use
metricated traditional page sizes for book production[citation needed].

The DIN 476 standard spread quickly to other countries. Before the outbreak of World
War II, it had been adopted by the following countries:

◾ Belgium (1924) ◾ Finland (1927) ◾ Soviet Union (1934)

◾ Netherlands (1925) ◾ Switzerland (1929) ◾ Hungary (1938)
◾ Norway (1926) ◾ Sweden (1930) ◾ Italy (1939)

During World War II, the standard was adopted by Uruguay (1942), Argentina (1943)
and Brazil (1943), and afterwards spread to other countries:
 ◾ Spain (1947) ◾ Poland (1957) ◾ Chile (1968)
◾ Austria (1948) ◾ United Kingdom (1959) ◾ Greece (1970)
◾ Iran (1948) ◾ Republic of Ireland ◾ Rhodesia (now
◾ Romania (1949) (1959) Zimbabwe) (1970)
◾ Japan (1951) ◾ Venezuela (1962) ◾ Singapore (1970)
◾ Denmark (1953) ◾ New Zealand (1963) ◾ Bangladesh (1972)
◾ Czechoslovakia (1953) ◾ Iceland (1964) ◾ Thailand (1973)
◾ Israel (1954) ◾ Mexico (1965) ◾ Barbados (1973)
◾ Portugal (1954) ◾ South Africa (1966) ◾ Australia (1974)
◾ Yugoslavia (1956) ◾ France (1967) ◾ Ecuador (1974)
◾ India (1957) ◾ Peru (1967) ◾ Colombia (1975)
◾ Turkey (1967) ◾ Kuwait (1975)

By 1975 so many countries were using the German system that it was established as an
ISO standard, as well as the official United Nations document format. By 1977 A4 was
the standard letter format in 88 of 148 countries. Today the standard has been adopted by
all countries in the world except the United States and Canada. In Mexico, Costa Rica,
Colombia, Venezuela, Chile and the Philippines the US letter format is still in common
use, despite their official adoption of the ISO standard.

B series

In addition to the A series, there is a less common B

series. The area of B series sheets is the geometric
mean of successive A series sheets. So, B1 is between
A0 and A1 in size, with an area of 0.707 m2 (
m2). As a result, B0 is 1 metre wide, and other sizes in
the B series are a half, a quarter or further fractions of a
metre wide. While less common in office use, it is used
for a variety of special situations. Many posters use
B-series paper or a close approximation, such as 50 cm
× 70 cm; B5 is a relatively common choice for books.
The B series is also used for envelopes and passports.
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; A size chart illustrating the ISO
four pages would be printed on B2, eight on B1, etc. B series.
C series

The C series is used only for envelopes and is defined

in ISO 269. 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 B4 slightly larger than C4. The practical usage of
this is that a letter written on A4 paper fits inside a C4
envelope, and a C4 envelope fits inside a B4 envelope.

A size chart illustrating the ISO

C series.
 ISO paper sizes (plus rounded inch values)
Format A series[3] B series[4] C series[5]
mm × mm ×
Size in × in mm × mm in × in in × in
mm mm
841 × 33.11 × 1000 × 39.37 × 917 × 36.10 ×
0
1189 46.81 1414 55.67 1297 51.06
23.39 × 27.83 × 25.51 ×
1 594 × 841 707 × 1000 648 × 917
33.11 39.37 36.10
16.54 × 19.69 × 18.03 ×
2 420 × 594 500 × 707 458 × 648
23.39 27.83 25.51
11.69 × 13.90 × 12.76 ×
3 297 × 420 353 × 500 324 × 458
16.54 19.69 18.03
4 210 × 297 8.27 × 11.69 250 × 353 9.84 × 13.90 229 × 324 9.02 × 12.76
5 148 × 210 5.83 × 8.27 176 × 250 6.93 × 9.84 162 × 229 6.38 × 9.02
6 105 × 148 4.13 × 5.83 125 × 176 4.92 × 6.93 114 × 162 4.49 × 6.38
7 74 × 105 2.91 × 4.13 88 × 125 3.46 × 4.92 81 × 114 3.19 × 4.49
8 52 × 74 2.05 × 2.91 62 × 88 2.44 × 3.46 57 × 81 2.24 × 3.19
9 37 × 52 1.46 × 2.05 44 × 62 1.73 × 2.44 40 × 57 1.57 × 2.24
10 26 × 37 1.02 × 1.46 31 × 44 1.22 × 1.73 28 × 40 1.10 × 1.57

The tolerances specified in the standard are

◾ ±1.5 mm (0.06 in) for dimensions up to 150 mm (5.9 in),

◾ ±2 mm (0.08 in) for lengths in the range 150 to 600 mm (5.9 to 23.6 in) and
◾ ±3 mm (0.12 in) for any dimension above 600 mm (23.6 in).

German extensions

The German standard DIN 476 was published in 1922 and is the original specification of
the A and B sizes. It differs in two details from its international successor:

DIN 476 provides an extension to formats larger than A0, denoted by a prefix factor. In
particular, it lists the two formats 2A0, which is twice the area of A0, and 4A0, which is
four times A0:
 DIN 476 overformats
Name mm × mm in × in
4A0 1682 × 2378 66.22 × 93.62
2A0 1189 × 1682 46.81 × 66.22

DIN 476 also specifies slightly tighter tolerances:

◾ ±1 mm (0.04 in) for dimensions up to 150 mm (5.9 in),

◾ ±1.5 mm (0.06 in) for lengths in the range 150 mm to 600 mm (5.9 to 23.6 in) and
◾ ±2 mm (0.08 in) for any dimension above 600 mm (23.6 in).

Swedish extensions

The Swedish standard SIS 014711 generalized the ISO

system of A, B, and C formats by adding D, E, F, and G
formats to it. Its D format sits between a B format and the
next larger A format (just like C sits between A and the
next larger B). The remaining formats fit in between all
these formats, such that the sequence of formats A4, E4,
C4, G4, B4, F4, D4, H4, A3 is a geometric progression, in
which the dimensions grow by a factor 21/16 from one size
to the next. However, the SIS 014711 standard does not
define any size between a D format and the next larger A
format (called H in the previous example). Of these
additional formats, G5 (169 × 239 mm) and E5 (155 ×
220 mm) are popular in Sweden for printing dissertations,
[6]
but the other formats have not turned out to be
Comparison of ISO 216 and
particularly useful in practice and they have not been
Swedish standard SIS
adopted internationally.
014711 paper sizes between
A4 and A3 sizes.
Japanese B-series variant

The JIS defines two main series of paper sizes. The JIS A-series is identical to the ISO
A-series, but with slightly different tolerances. The area of B-series paper is 1.5 times
that of the corresponding A-paper (instead of the factor 1.414... for the ISO B-series), so
the length ratio is approximately 1.22 times the length of the corresponding A-series
paper. The aspect ratio of the paper is the same as for A-series paper. Both A- and
B-series paper is widely available in Japan, Taiwan and China, and most photocopiers are
loaded with at least A4 and either one of A3, B4 and B5 paper.
There are also a number of traditional paper sizes, which are now used mostly only by
printers. The most common of these old series are the Shiroku-ban and the Kiku paper
sizes.

JIS paper sizes (plus rounded inch values)

Format B series Shiroku ban Kiku
mm × mm ×
Size mm × mm in × in in × in in × in
mm mm
1030 × 40.55 ×
0
1456 57.32
28.66 ×
1 728 × 1030
40.55
20.28 ×
2 515 × 728
28.66
14.33 ×
3 364 × 515
20.28
10.12 × 10.39 × 8.94 ×
4 257 × 364 264 × 379 227 × 306
14.33 14.92 12.05
5 182 × 257 7.17 × 10.12 189 × 262 7.44 × 10.31 151 × 227 5.94 × 8.94
6 128 × 182 5.04 × 7.17 127 × 188 5.00 × 7.40
7 91 × 128 3.58 × 5.04
8 64 × 91 2.52 × 3.58
9 45 × 64 1.77 × 2.52
10 32 × 45 1.26 × 1.77
11 22 × 32 0.87 × 1.26
12 16 × 22 0.63 × 0.87

Colombian common sizes naming

The most common paper sizes used for commercial and industrial printing in Colombia
are close to the ISO B1, B2 and B3 and are referred to as pliego, 1⁄2 pliego and 1⁄4 pliego
respectively. The "Arch B" size is known as extratabloide.
 Colombian paper sizes
Size mm × mm
Pliego 700 × 1000
1
⁄2 pliego 500 × 700
1
⁄4 pliego 350 × 500
Extra Tabloide 304.8 × 457.2

North American paper sizes

Loose sizes

The U.S., Canada and Mexico use a different system of imperial paper sizes compared to
the rest of the world. The current standard sizes are unique to that continent (though with
globalisation other parts of the world have become increasingly familiar with them). The
traditional North American inch-based sizes differ from the those described below.
"Letter", "legal", "ledger", and "tabloid" are by far the most commonly used of these for
everyday activities. The origins of the exact dimensions of "letter" size paper (81⁄2 in
× 11 in or 215.9 mm × 279.4 mm) are lost in tradition and not well documented. The
American Forest and Paper Association argues that the dimension originates from the
days of manual paper making, and that the 11 inch length of the page is about a quarter of
"the average maximum stretch of an experienced vatman's arms."[7] However, this does
not explain the width or aspect ratio. Outside of North America, Letter size is also known
as "American Quarto"[8] and the size is indeed almost exactly one quarter of the old
Imperial (British) paper size known as Demy 4to (17½"×22½"), allowing ½" for
trimming.[9]

North American paper sizes

Size in × in mm × mm Similar Canadian P size
Letter 8.5 × 11 215.9 × 279.4 P4: 215 × 280
Government-Letter 8.0 × 10.5 203.2 × 266.7
Legal 8.5 × 14 215.9 × 355.6
Junior Legal 8.0 × 5.0 203.2 × 127
Ledger[10] 17 × 11 432 × 279
Tabloid 11 × 17 279 × 432
There is an additional paper size, to which the name "government-letter" was given by
the IEEE Printer Working Group: the 8 in × 101⁄2 in (203.2 mm × 266.7 mm) paper that is
used in the United States and Canada for children's writing. It was prescribed by Herbert
Hoover when he was Secretary of Commerce to be used for U.S. government forms,
apparently to enable discounts from the purchase of paper for schools, but more likely
due to the standard use of trimming books (after binding) and paper from the standard
letter size paper to produce consistency and allow "bleed" printing. In later years, as
photocopy machines proliferated, citizens wanted to make photocopies of the forms, but
the machines did not generally have this size paper in their bins. Ronald Reagan therefore
had the U.S. government switch to regular letter size (81⁄2 in × 11 in or 215.9 mm
× 279.4 mm).[7] The 8 in × 101⁄2 in (203.2 mm × 266.7 mm) size is still commonly used in
spiral-bound notebooks and the like, a result of trimming from the current letter
dimensions.

U.S. paper sizes are currently standard in the United States, the Philippines and Chile.
The latter two use U.S. "letter", but the Philippine and Chilean "legal" size is 81⁄2 in
× 13 in (215.9 mm × 330.2 mm).[11] ISO sizes are available, but not widely used, in both
the U.S. and the Philippines.

In Canada, U.S. paper sizes are a de facto standard. The government, however, uses a
combination of ISO paper sizes, and CAN 2-9.60M "Paper Sizes for Correspondence"
specifies P1 through P6 paper sizes, which are the U.S. paper sizes rounded to the nearest
5 mm.[12][13]

Mexico has adopted the ISO standard, but U.S. "letter" format is still the system in use
throughout the country. It is virtually impossible to encounter ISO standard papers in
day-to-day uses, with "Carta 216 mm × 279 mm" (letter), "Oficio
216 mm × 330 mm" (Government-Legal) and "Doble carta" (ledger/tabloid) being nearly
universal. U.S. sizes are also widespread and in common use in Colombia.[14]

ANSI paper sizes

In 1996, the American National Standards Institute adopted ANSI/ASME Y14.1 which
defined a regular series of paper sizes based upon the de facto standard 81⁄2 in × 11 in
(215.9 mm × 279.4 mm) "letter" size which it assigned "ANSI A". This series also
includes "ledger"/"tabloid" as "ANSI B". This series is somewhat similar to the ISO
standard in that cutting a sheet in half would produce two sheets of the next smaller size.
Unlike the ISO standard, however, the arbitrary aspect ratio forces this series to have two
alternating aspect ratios. To wit, "Letter" (8½" × 11",
or ANSI A) is less elongated than A4, while
"Ledger/Tabloid" (11" × 17", or ANSI B) is more
elongated than A3. The ANSI series is shown below.

With care, documents can be prepared so that the text

and images fit on either ANSI or their equivalent ISO
sheets at 1:1 reproduction scale.

in × mm × Similar ISO
Name Ratio Alias
in mm A size
ANSI 8.5 × 216 ×
1.2941 Letter A4
A 11 279
17 × 432 × A size chart illustrating the
Ledger ANSI sizes.
ANSI 11 279 [10]
1.5455 A3
B 11 × 279 ×
Tabloid
17 432
ANSI 17 × 432 ×
1.2941 A2
C 22 559
ANSI 22 × 559 ×
1.5455 A1
D 34 864
ANSI 34 × 864 ×
1.2941 A0
E 44 1118

Other, larger sizes continuing the alphabetic series illustrated above exist, but it should be
noted that they are not part of the series per se, because they do not exhibit the same
aspect ratios. For example, Engineering F size (28 in × 40 in or 711.2 mm × 1,016.0 mm)
also exists, but is rarely encountered, as are G, H, ... N size drawings. G size is 221⁄2 in
(571.5 mm) high, but variable width up to 90 in (2,286 mm) in increments of 81⁄2 in
(215.9 mm), i.e., roll format. H and larger letter sizes are also roll formats. Such sheets
were at one time used for full-scale layouts of aircraft parts, wiring harnesses and the
like, but are slowly being phased out, due to widespread use of computer-aided design
(CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). Some visual arts fields also continue
to use these paper formats for large-scale printouts, such as for displaying digitally
painted character renderings at life-size as references for makeup artists and costume
designers, or to provide an immersive landscape reference.

Architectural sizes
In addition to the ANSI system as listed above, there is
a corresponding series of paper sizes used for
architectural purposes. This series also shares the
property that bisecting each size produces two of the
size below.[15] It may be preferred by North American
architects because the aspect ratios (4:3 and 3:2) are
ratios of small integers, unlike their ANSI (or ISO)
counterparts. Furthermore, the aspect ratio 4:3 matches
the traditional aspect ratio for computer displays.[15]
The architectural series, usually abbreviated "Arch", is
shown below:

Name in × in mm × mm Ratio
A size chart illustrating the
Arch A 9 × 12 229 × 305 3:4
Architectural sizes.
Arch B 12 × 18 305 × 457 2:3
Arch C 18 × 24 457 × 610 3:4
Arch D 24 × 36 610 × 914 2:3
Arch E 36 × 48 914 × 1219 3:4
Arch E1 30 × 42 762 × 1067 5:7
Arch E2 26 × 38 660 × 965 13:19
Arch E3 27 × 39 686 × 991 9:13
Other sizes
 mm ×
Name in × in Ratio dot × dot
mm
Organizer J 2.75 × 5 70 × 127 ≈1.8142
4.25 × 108 ×
Compact 1.5833
6.75 171
Organizer L, Statement, Half Letter, 140 ×
5.5 × 8.5 1.54
Memo, Jepps* 216
7.25 × 184 ×
Executive, Monarch ≈1.4483
10.5 267
203 ×
Government-Letter 8 × 10.5 1.3125
267
210 ×
Foolscap, Folio[10] 8.27 × 13 ≈1.5719
330
216 ×
Letter, Organizer M 8.5 × 11 ≈1.2941
279
216 × 612 ×
Fanfold 12x8.5, German Std Fanfold 8.5 × 12 ≈1.4118
304 864
216 ×
Government-Legal, Folio 8.5 × 13 ≈1.5294
330
216 ×
Legal 8.5 × 14 ≈1.6471
356
229 ×
Quarto 9 × 11 1.2
279
11 × 279 × 792 ×
US Std Fanfold ≈1.3513
14.875 377 1071
279 ×
Ledger, Tabloid, Organizer K, Bible 11 × 17 1.54
432
330 ×
Super-B 13 × 19 ≈1.4615
483
15.5 × 394 ×
Post ≈1.2581
19.5 489
381 ×
Crown 15 × 20 1.3
508
419 ×
Large Post 16.5 × 21 1.27
533
 Demy 17.5 × 445 × ≈1.2857
22.5 572
457 ×
Medium 18 × 23 1.27
584
457 ×
Broadsheet 18 × 24 1.3
610
508 ×
Royal 20 × 25 1.25
635
584 ×
Elephant 23 × 28 ≈1.2174
711
572 ×
Double Demy 22.5 × 35 1.5
889
889 ×
Quad Demy 35 × 45 ≈1.2857
1143
 Personal Organizers and Other Corporations[16][17]
Paper Size in × in (Various hole
Company Name
sizes)
Filofax
M2 103 × 64 mm with 3 holes
Mini 105 × 67 mm with 5 holes
Pocket 120 × 81 mm with 6 holes
Personal 171 × 95 mm with 6 holes
Slimline 171 × 95 mm with 6 holes
A5 210 × 148 mm with 6 holes
Deskfax (B5) 250 × 176 mm with 9 holes
A4 297 × 210 mm with 4 holes
Franklin Planner
Micro 25⁄8 × 41⁄4 (66.675 × 108 mm)
Pocket 31⁄2 × 6 (89 × 152 mm)
Compact 41⁄4 × 63⁄4 (108 × 171 mm)
Classic 51⁄2 × 81⁄2 (140 × 216 mm)
Monarch 81⁄2 × 11 (216 × 280 mm)
*Jeppesen Aeronautical Jeppesen
51⁄2 × 81⁄2 (140 × 216 mm) 7 holes
Charts Chart

FAA Aeronautical Charts FAA Chart 51⁄2 × 81⁄2 (140 × 216 mm) 3 holes at
top
 Index and business cards
Name in × in mm × mm Ratio
Index card 3×5 76 × 127 1.6
Index card 4×6 102 × 152 1.5
Index card 5×8 127 × 203 1.6
International business card * 21⁄8 × 3.37 53.98 × 85.6 1.586
US business card 2 × 3.5 51 × 89 1.75
Japanese business card ≈2.165 × ≈3.583 55 × 91 ≈1.65
Hungarian business card ≈1.969 × ≈3.543 50 × 90 1.8

* This is the same size as the smallest rectangle containing a credit card. However, credit
card size, as defined in ISO/IEC 7810, also specifies rounded corners and thickness.

Photographic paper sizes

Name in × in mm × mm Ratio
2R 2.5 × 3.5 64 × 89 1.4
- 3×5 76 × 127 1.6
LD, DSC 3.5 × 4.67 89 × 119 1.3 (4:3)
3R, L 3.5 × 5 89 × 127 ≈1.4286
LW 3.5 × 5.25 89 × 133 1.5 (3:2)
KGD 4 × 5.33 102 × 136 1.3 (4:3)
4R, KG 4×6 102 × 152 1.5 (3:2)
2LD, DSCW 5 × 6.67 127 × 169 1.3 (4:3)
5R, 2L 5×7 127 × 178 1.4
2LW 5 × 7.5 127 × 190 1.5 (3:2)
6R 6×8 152 × 203 1.3 (4:3)
8R, 6P 8 × 10 203 × 254 1.25
S8R, 6PW 8 × 12 203 × 305 1.5 (3:2)
11R 11 × 14 279 × 356 1.27
A3+, Super B 13 × 19 330 × 483 ≈1.46154

See also: Photo print sizes

 Postcard size limitations
Dimension Minimum (inch) Maximum (inch)
Height 3.5 4.25
Width 5.0 6.0
Thickness 0.007 0.016

Tablet sizes

See also: Notebook

The sizes listed above are for paper sold loosely in reams. There are many sizes of tablets
of paper, that is, sheets of paper bound at one edge, usually by a strip of plastic or
hardened PVA adhesive. Often there is a pad of cardboard (also known as chipboard or
greyboard) at the bottom of the stack. Such a tablet serves as a portable writing surface,
and the sheets often have lines printed on them, usually in blue, to make writing in a line
easier. An older means of binding is to have the sheets stapled to the cardboard along the
top of the tablet; there is a line of perforated holes across every page just below the top
edge from which any page may be torn off. Lastly, a pad of sheets each weakly stuck
with adhesive to the sheet below, trademarked as "Post-It" or "Stick-Em" and available in
various sizes, serve as a sort of tablet.

"Letter pads" are 81⁄2 by 11 inches (215.9 by 279.4 mm), while the term "legal pad" is
often used by laymen to refer to pads of various sizes including those of 81⁄2 by 14 inches
(215.9 by 355.6 mm). There are "steno pads" (used by stenographers) of 6 by 9 inches
(152.4 by 228.6 mm).

In countries where the ISO sizes are standard, most notebooks and tablets are sized to
ISO specifications (for example, most newsagents in Australia stock A4 and A3 tablets).

Traditional inch-based paper sizes

Traditionally, a number of different sizes were defined for large sheets of paper, and
paper sizes were defined by the sheet name and the number of times it had been folded.
Thus a full sheet of "royal" paper was 25 × 20 inches, and "royal octavo" was this size
folded three times, so as to make eight sheets, and was thus 10 by 6¼ inches.

Imperial sizes were used in the United Kingdom and its territories. Some of the base sizes
were as follows:
 Name in × in mm × mm Ratio
Emperor 48 × 72 1219 × 1829 1.5
Antiquarian 31 × 53 787 × 1346 1.7097
Grand eagle 28.75 × 42 730 × 1067 1.4609
Double elephant 26.75 × 40 678 × 1016 1.4984
Atlas* 26 × 34 660 × 864 1.3077
Colombier 23.5 × 34.5 597 × 876 1.4681
Double demy 22.5 × 35.5 572 × 902 1.5(7)
Imperial* 22 × 30 559 × 762 1.3636
Double large post 21 × 33 533 × 838 1.5713
Elephant* 23 × 28 584 × 711 1.2174
Princess 21.5 × 28 546 × 711 1.3023
Cartridge 21 × 26 533 × 660 1.2381
Royal* 20 × 25 508 × 635 1.25
Sheet, half post 19.5 × 23.5 495 × 597 1.2051
Double post 19 × 30.5 483 × 762 1.6052
Super royal 19 × 27 483 × 686 1.4203
Medium* 17.5 × 23 470 × 584 1.2425
Demy* 17.5 × 22.5 445 × 572 1.2857
Large post 16.5 × 21 419 × 533 1.(27)
Copy draught 16 × 20 406 × 508 1.25
Large post 15.5 × 20 394 × 508 1.2903
Post* 15.5 × 19.25 394 × 489 1.2419
Crown* 15 × 20 381 × 508 1.(3)
Pinched post 14.75 × 18.5 375 × 470 1.2533
Foolscap* 13.5 × 17 343 × 432 1.2593
Small foolscap 13.25 × 16.5 337 × 419 1.2453
Brief 13.5 × 16 343 × 406 1.1852
Pott 12.5 × 15 318 × 381 1.2

* The sizes marked with an asterisk are still in use in the United States.
Traditional sizes for paper in the United Kingdom

These sizes are no longer commonly used since the UK switched to ISO sizes:[18]

Name in × in
Quarto 10 × 8
Foolscap 13 × 8
Imperial 9 × 7
Kings 8 × 6.5
Dukes 7 × 5.5

The common divisions and their abbreviations include:

Name Abbr. Folds Leaves Pages

Folio fo, f 1 2 4
Quarto 4to 2 4 8
Sexto, sixmo 6to, 6mo 3 6 12
Octavo 8vo 3 8 16
Duodecimo, twelvemo 12mo 4 12 24
Sextodecimo, sixteenmo 16mo 4 16 32

Foolscap folio is often referred to simply as "folio" or "foolscap". Similarly, "quarto" is

more correctly "copy draught quarto".

Many of these sizes were only used for making books (see bookbinding), and would
never have been offered for ordinary stationery purposes.[19]

Demitab

The demitab or demi-tab (from the French "demi" or half tabloid) is 5.5 in × 8.5 in
(140 mm × 216 mm), equal to one quarter of a sheet of 11 in × 17 in (279 mm × 432 mm)
tabloid size paper. In actual circulation, the size 8 in × 10.5 in (203 mm × 267 mm) is
common for a demitab.[20] Tabloid newspapers, which are "generally half the size of a
broadsheet", also vary in size. To add to the lack of uniformity, broadsheets also vary in
size.
Transitional paper sizes
PA series

A transitional size called PA4 (210 mm × 280 mm or 8.27 in × 11.02 in) was proposed
for inclusion into the ISO 216 standard in 1975. It has the height of Canadian P4 paper
(215 mm × 280 mm, about 8½ in × 11 in) and the width of international A4 paper
(210 mm × 297 mm or 8.27 in × 11.69 in). The table below, shows how this format can
be generalized into an entire format series.

The PA formats did not end up in ISO 216, because the committee felt that the set of
standardized paper formats should be kept to the minimum necessary. However, PA4
remains of practical use today. In landscape orientation, it has the same 4:3 aspect ratio as
the displays of traditional TV sets, some computer displays and data projectors. PA4,
with appropriate margins, is therefore a good choice as the format of presentation slides.

PA4 is also a useful compromise between A4 and US/Canadian Letter sizes. Hence it is
used today by many international magazines, because it can be printed easily on
equipment designed for either A4 or US Letter.

PA4-based series
Name mm × mm Ratio
PA0 840 × 1120 3:4
PA1 560 × 840 2:3
PA2 420 × 560 3:4
PA3 280 × 420 2:3
PA4 210 × 280 3:4
PA5 140 × 210 2:3
PA6 105 × 140 3:4
PA7 70 × 105 2:3
PA8 52 × 70 ≈3:4
PA9 35 × 52 ≈2:3
PA10 26 × 35 ≈3:4

Antiquarian
Although the movement is towards the international standard metric paper sizes, on the
way there from the traditional ones there has been at least one new size just a little larger
than that used internationally. British architects and industrial designers once used a size
called "Antiquarian" as listed above, but given in the New Metric Handbook (Tutt &
Adler 1981) as 813 mm × 1,372 mm (32 in × 54 in) for board size. This is a little larger
than the A0 size. So for a short time, a size called A0a (1,000 mm × 1,370 mm or 39.4 in
× 53.9 in) was used in Britain.
Other metric sizes
mm ×
Name in × in Notes
mm
DL 99 × 210 3.7 × 8.3 common flyer 1/3 of an A4
110 × common envelope size as it fits an A4 sheet folded to
DLE 4.3 × 8.7
220 1/3 height.
210 × common in Southeast Asia and Australia. Sometimes
F4 8.3 × 13.0
330 called "foolscap" there.
841 × 33.0125 ×
RA0
1189 46.75
610 ×
RA1 24.0 × 33.9
860
430 ×
RA2 16.9 × 24.0
610
305 ×
RA3 12.0 × 16.9
430
215 ×
RA4 8.5 × 12.0
305
900 ×
SRA0 35.4 × 50.4
1280
640 ×
SRA1 25.2 × 35.4
900
450 ×
SRA2 17.7 × 25.2
640
320 ×
SRA3 12.6 × 17.7
450
225 ×
SRA4 8.9 × 12.6
320
329 ×
A3+ 13.0 × 19.0
483

Newspaper sizes
Main article: Newspaper format
Newspapers have a separate set of sizes.

◾ Berliner
◾ Broadsheet
◾ Compact
◾ Rhenish
◾ Tabloid (newspaper format)

In a recent trend[21] many newspapers have been undergoing what is known as "web cut
down", in which the publication is redesigned to print using a narrower (and less
expensive) roll of paper. In extreme examples, some broadsheet papers are nearly as
narrow as traditional tabloids.

See also

◾ Book size ◾ Paper density

◾ Hole punch—filing holes ◾ PC LOAD LETTER
◾ New Zealand standard for school ◾ Photo print sizes
stationery

References

1. ^ "Paper Grain & Smoothness: Don't Go Against the Grain" (http://www.xerox.com/printer-

supplies/paper-stock/paper-grain/enus.html). Xerox Corp. Retrieved 2013-05-10. "A paper
mill may indicate paper grain on carton and ream labels, product brochures, swatch books
and price lists in several ways: 1. You may see the words Grain Long or Grain Short. 2. The
dimension parallel to the grain may be underscored. For example, 8.5x11 indicates long
grain, while 11x17 indicates short grain. 3. "M" may be used to indicate machine direction,
for example, 11Mx17 indicates short grain. Fold paper parallel to the grain direction. Paper
folded against the grain may be rough and crack along the folded edge. The heavier the paper,
the more likely roughness and cracking will occur."
2. ^ "Lichtenberg’s letter to Johann Beckmann" (http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/lichtenberg-
letter.html). Cl.cam.ac.uk. 2006-02-07. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
3. ^ Dimensions Of A Paper Sizes - A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10 - In Inches
& mm (http://www.papersizes.org/a-paper-sizes.htm)
4. ^ Dimensions Of B Paper Sizes - B0, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, B10
(http://www.papersizes.org/b-paper-sizes.htm)
5. ^ Dimensions Of The C Envelope Sizes - C0, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, C9, C10 -
Plus DL Envelope Size (http://www.papersizes.org/c-envelope-sizes.htm)
 6. ^ Print format for dissertations (http://ki.se/content/1/c6/05/90/62/Typography_en.pdf).
Karolinska University press.
7. ^ a b American Forest and Paper Association. "Why is the standard paper size in the U.S. 8½"
x 11"?" (http://afandpa.org/paper.aspx?id=511). Retrieved 2009-08-04.
8. ^ "Additional Facts and Other Interesting Details" (http://www.dimensionsguide.com/junior-
legal-paper-size/). Retrieved 2010-02-21.
9. ^ Fyffe, Charles (1969). Basic Copyfitting. London: Studio Vista. p. 74. ISBN 0-289-
79705-5.
10. ^ a b c Adobe Systems Incorporated (February 9, 1996). "PostScript Printer Description File
Format
Specification" (http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/en/ps/5003.PPD_Spec_v4.3.pdf)
(4.3 ed.). San Jose, California. p. 191. Retrieved 2008-03-06
11. ^ Rally de Leon. "Request for inclusion of Page Size
8.5"x13"" (http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=91260). Retrieved 2008-08-11.
12. ^ Kuhn, Markus. "International standard paper sizes" (http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-
paper.html). Retrieved 2008-03-06.
13. ^ "Canadian standard CAN 2-9.60M paper sizes" (http://www.paper-sizes.com/north-
american-paper-sizes/canadian-paper-sizes)
14. ^ "Armada mil" (http://www.armada.mil.co/index.php?idcategoria=251610&download=Y).
Retrieved 2010-12-12.
15. ^ a b except for size Arch E1
16. ^ "Filofax" (http://www.filofaxusa.com/sizeguide/).
17. ^ "Franklin Planner" (http://www.franklinplanner.com).
18. ^ "Traditional sizes for writing paper in the United
Kingdom" (http://www.sizepaper.com/traditional-uk-writing). sizepaper.com (formerly
atsyn.com). Retrieved 2013-04-16.
19. ^ "Book sizes, with reference tables" (http://www.trussel.com/books/booksize.htm).
20. ^ Max Image Area (http://horizonpublications.ca/html/max_image_area.php). Horizon
Publications.
21. ^ "Press web" (http://www.naa.org/technology/pressweb/index.html). Naa.org. Retrieved
2010-12-12.

Further reading
◾ International standard ISO 216, Writing paper and certain classes of printed
matter—Trimmed sizes—A and B series. International Organization for
Standardization, Geneva, 1975.
◾ International standard ISO 217: Paper—Untrimmed sizes—Designation and
tolerances for primary and supplementary ranges, and indication of machine
direction. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, 1995.
◾ Max Helbig, Winfried Hennig: DIN-Format A4—Ein Erfolgssystem in Gefahr.
Beuth-Kommentare, Beuth Verlag, Berlin, 1998. ISBN 3-410-11878-0
 ◾ Arthur D. Dunn: Notes on the standardization of paper sizes
(http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/volatile/dunn-papersizes.pdf). Ottawa, Canada,
54 pages, 1972.

External links
◾ Palme, Jacob (May 1998). Making Postscript and PDF International
(https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2346). IETF. RFC 2346.
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2346. Retrieved 2012-06-22. — Notably: About margin
settings for using just the space common to both A4 and US Letter.
◾ A handy reference website all about paper sizes (http://www.paper-sizes.com)
◾ IEEE-ISTO 5101.1-2002 "The Printer Working Group Standard for Media
Standardized Names" (PDF) (ftp://ftp.pwg.org/pub/pwg/standards/pwg5101.1.pdf)
◾ Paper Characteristics, Standard Sizes and Size Conversion
(http://www.printerdiary.com/2011/04/paper-charactiristics-standard-sizes.html)
◾ Another paper size reference site listing multiple formats
(http://www.sizepaper.com/)

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title=Paper_size&oldid=556201998"
Categories: Paper Standards Stationery Technical drawing

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