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For your business 9 min

Paper formats:
standard sizes and
typical uses
Editorial team / Published on 04/03/2019

We bet that in your office there are reams

of A4 in the printer and at least one A5
sheet full of notes somewhere on your
desk. If you’re familiar with paper formats,
you’ll have probably guessed that we’re
talking about printer paper and notepads.

The list of paper formats is long and, to

be honest, not terribly interesting. It’s all
about numbers! In this post we want to
present it in a more practical and, we
hope, useful ‘format’. Sure, we’ll talk
about paper sizes, but we’ll also look at
their most common uses: posters,
leaflets, brochures, postcards, books,
business cards and more.

ISO 216 paper formats: a

quick word about the
standard

Let’s start with the most boring bit: the

ISO 216 standard that classifies
different paper formats based on the
sheet’s dimensions to create an
international standard. This allows all
European countries (in the United States
and Canada the Letter format rules) to
speak the same language, at least as far
as paper formats are concerned.

According to the standard, formats are

generated by subdividing an initial sheet
without leaving any waste material. In the
A series, the most common, this great
ancestor is the A0 sheet, which can be
folded and cut to create all the other
formats in the series. How is it folded?
We’re not going to explain here, because
then things would get really boring.
Because, at the end of the day, you just
want to know which paper format is best
for your project, right?

Ann overview of the A format family

In the A series, the ‘primary’ range, there

are 10 subgroups: they go from A0, the
largest format, to A10, the smallest.
Alongside the A series are the ‘subsidiary’
B and C series, which are also denoted by
numbers. What do ‘primary’ and
‘subsidiary’ mean? They mean that a
letter written on an A4 sheet can be
placed inside a C4 envelope, while a C4
envelope can be placed inside a B4
envelope. This is because a C4 sheet is
slightly wider than A4 while B4 is slightly
wider than C4.

If you’ve hung out in the publishing world,

you will have heard of the B series, which
goes from B0 (1000 x 1414 mm) to B10
(31 x 44 mm). In fact, B5 (176 x 250 mm)
is a great format for books. B0 (1000 x
1414 mm), B1 (707 x 1000 mm) and B2
(500 x 707 mm), given their large sizes,
are a good choice for printing posters or
office presentations. And the C series,
which goes from C0 (917 x 1297 mm) to
C10 (28 x 40 mm), is the perfect
‘supplementary’ range, since it’s mainly
used for creating envelopes.

A series. Formats,
dimensions and uses.

Below you’ll find the dimensions and

possible uses for each format. We say
‘possible’ because there are no rules that
say a project must use a specific sheet
size. There are, however, conventions.
When you think of a postcard, for
example, in your mind you see an A6
format. But there’s nothing to stop you
from doing something different. You
could, for instance, create a postcard of
Lisbon in the shape of a sardine. But you
would have to be willing to waste paper
and pay steep printing costs given that
we’re talking about a custom format in the
shape of a… sardine!

A0 format. Dimensions:
841 x 1189 mm.

This is the biggest format of all. Its large

size means it’s only used by copy shops
and designers, and the same goes for A1
and A2. A0 is mainly used for technical
drawing, which requires sheets that are
large enough for a design to fit
comfortably, without having to use a
magnifying glass. It can also be used for
posters, although the most widely used
formats for these are 700 x 1000 mm
and 1000 x 1400 mm.

A1 format. Dimensions:
594 x 841 mm.

A1, which is also pretty large, is used for

technical drawing too, as well as for
maps, posters and other large-format
advertising materials.

A2 format. Dimensions:
420 x 594 mm.

Applications for the A2 format are varied:

from drawing to printing photos; from
posters to charts; from large wall
calendars to flipcharts.

A3 format. Dimensions:
297 x 420 mm.

Along with A4, this is undoubtedly one of

the most common sizes. It’s therefore no
surprise that most office printers can take
A3 as well as A4. So, what’s it used for?
It’s used to print drawings, artwork,
posters, photos, magazines, musical
scores, certificates and more. It’s also
the perfect format for promotional
leaflets (folded 6 ways): its generous size
allows you to present a map of a
convention centre or a many-branched
diagram.

A4 format. Dimensions:
210 x 297 mm.

Everyone, even the uninitiated, knows

that A4 is the classic paper size for
printers and as such it is used for
standard documents from letters to
forms. It’s the format of school notepads,
children’s books, encyclopaedias (which
need more space for illustrations),
magazines and leaflets. Indeed, the
classic leaflet format is an A4 sheet
folded in three.

A5 format. Dimensions:
148 x 210 mm.

The A5 format is also widely used. We

started this article by saying that there
would likely be an A5 notepad on your
desk. A5 is in fact the perfect format for
notebooks: it’s less bulky than A4,
practical for taking notes and doesn’t take
up too much space in a backpack. For the
same reason, A5 can also be great for
printing books, as well as magazines,
leaflets and flyers.

A6 format. Dimensions:
105 x 148 mm.

You’re bound to be familiar with this

format too, especially if you’re still in the
habit of sending postcards from holiday
destinations or accompanying gifts with a
greetings card. Postcards and greetings
cards generally come in A6 format.
What’s more, the size of an A6 sheet is
also perfect for printing leaflets and
pocket diaries and books.

A7 format. Dimensions:
74 x 105 mm.

Given its compact dimensions, A7 can be

used to create, for example, a mini
calendar with the timetable for classes at
a gym or school, as well as flyers or
greetings cards.

A8 format. Dimensions:
52 x 74 mm.

To give you an idea of the A8 format, just

look inside your wallet: business cards and
loyalty cards are usually in a similar but
slightly larger format (85 x 55 mm). So,
there’s nothing to stop you from using
this standard format for business cards,
mini greetings cards, stickers or labels.

The table below summarises the

dimensions of different formats in the A
series. Dimensions are given in
millimetres, centimetres, inches and
pixels.
Dimensions Dimensions
Dimensions Dimensio
in in
in inches in pixels
millimetres centimetres

Height x Height
Height x Height x
Width Width
Width Width
(in) (px)
(mm) (cm)
HR – 140
x 9933px
A0
1189 x 841 118.9 x 84.1 46.8 x 33.1
paper
mm cm in LR –
format
3370 x
2384px
HR – 993
x 7016px
A1
841 x 594 84.1 x 59.4 33.1 x 23.4
paper
mm cm in LR –
format
2384 x
1684px
HR – 701
4961px
A2
594 x 420 59.4 x 42 23.4 x 16.5
paper
mm cm in LR –
format
1648 x
1191px
HR – 496
3508px
A3
420 x 297 42 x 29.7
paper 16.5 x 11.7 in
mm cm
format LR – 119
x 842px
HR – 350
x 2480px
A4
297 x 210
paper 29.7 x 21 cm 11.7 x 8.3 in
mm
format LR – 84
x 595p
HR – 248
x 1748px
A5
210 x 148
paper 21 x 14.8 cm 8.3 x 5.8 in
mm
format LR – 59
x 420p
HR – 174
1240px
A6
148 x 105 14.8 x 10.5
paper 5.8 x 4.1 in
mm cm
format LR – 42
x 298px
HR – 124
874px
A7
105 x 74 10.5 x 7.4
paper 4.1 x 2.9 in
mm cm
format LR – 29
x 210px
HR – 874
614px
A8
paper 74 x 52 mm 7.4 x 5.2 cm 2.9 x 2.0 in
format LR – 21
x 147px
HR – 614
x 437px

A9 paper 52 x 37 5.2 x 3.7 2.0 x 1.5

format mm cm in LR –
147 x
105px
HR –
437 x
307px
A10
37 x 26 3.7 x 2.5
paper 1.5 x 1.0 in
mm cm
format LR –
105 x
74px

B series. Formats,
dimensions and uses.

Used far less in everyday life, B series

paper is employed by professional
printers to produce books, brochures,
passports and more… The main difference
compared to A series? A piece of B
format paper will be slightly bigger than its
A format equivalent with the same
number.

Below is a summary table with the

dimensions in millimetres, centimetres,
inches and pixels for the various B series
formats.
Dimensions Dimensions
Dimensions Dimensio
in in
in inches in pixels
millimetres centimetres

Width x Width x
Width x Width x
height height
height height
(in) (px)
(mm) (cm)
HR – 1181
16701px
B0
1000 x 1414 100 x 141.4 39.4 x 55.7
paper
mm cm in LR –
format
2835 x
4008p
HR – 835
x 11811px
B1
707 x 1000 70.7 x 27.8 x 39.4
paper
mm 100.0 cm in LR –
format
2004 x
2835px
HR – 590
x 8350px
B2
500 x 707 50.0 x 70.7 19.7 x 27.8
paper
mm cm in LR – 14
format
x
2004p
HR – 416
5906px
B3
353 x 500 35.3 x 50.0 13.9 x 19.7
paper
mm cm in LR –
format
1001 x
1417px
HR – 295
x 4169px
B4
250 x 353 25.0 x 35.3
paper 9.8 x 13.9 in
mm cm
format LR – 70
x 1001p
HR – 207
x 2953px
B5
176 x 250 17.6 x 25.0
paper 6.9 x 9.8 in
mm cm
format LR – 49
x 709p
HR – 147
2079px
B6
125 x 176 12.5 x 17.6
paper 4.9 x 6.9 in
mm cm
format LR – 35
x 499p
HR – 103
1476px
B7
88 x 125 8.8 x 12.5
paper 3.5 x 4.9 in
mm cm
format LR – 24
x 354p
HR – 732
1039px
B8
paper 62 x 88 mm 6.2 x 8.8 cm 2.4 x 3.5 in
format LR – 17
x 249px
HR – 520
x 732px

B9 paper 44 x 62 4.4 x 6.2 1.7 x 2.4

format mm cm in LR –
125 x
176px
HR – 366
x 520px
B10
31 x 44 3.1 x 4.4
paper 1.2 x 1.7 in
mm cm
format LR – 88
x 125px

C series. Formats,
dimensions and uses.

C series paper formats are used more

often than you might think.

They’re employed for the production of

envelopes for letters. Indeed, if you think
about it, an A4 sheet of paper will fit a C4
format envelope exactly. Likewise, a
sheet of C5 paper will fit a B5 envelope
exactly. So the C series is a
“complementary” series designed to fit
paper formats from the other two series.

Below is a summary table with the

dimensions in millimetres, centimetres
and inches for the various C series
formats.
Dimensions Dimensions
Dimensions
in in
in inches
millimetres centimetres

Width x
Width x Width x
height
height height
(in)
(mm) (cm)
C0 paper 917 x 1297 91.7 x 129.7 36.1 x 51.5
format mm cm in
C1 paper 648 x 917 64.8 x 91.7 25.5 x 36.1
format mm cm in
C2 paper 458 x 648 45.8 x 64.8 18.0 x 25.5
format mm cm in
C3 paper 324 x 458 32.4 x 45.8 12.8 x 18.0
format mm cm in
C4 paper 229 x 324 22.9×32.4
9.0 x 12.8 in
format mm cm
C5 paper 162 x 229 16.2 x 22.9
6.4 x 9.0 in
format mm cm
C6 paper 114 x 162 11.4 x 16.2
4.5 x 6.4 in
format mm cm
C7 paper
81 x 114 mm 8.1 x 11.4 cm 3.2 x 4.5 in
format
C8 paper
57 x 81 mm 5.7 x 8.1 cm 2.2 x 3.2 in
format
C9 paper
40 x 57 mm 4.0 x 5.7 cm 1.6 x 2.2 in
format
C10 paper
28 x 40 mm 2.8 x 4.0 cm 1.1 x 1.6 in
format

As mentioned earlier, this is just a set of

general rules. Feel free to break them!

Editorial team
Published on 04/03/2019

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