Guide to Paper sizes and dimensions or formats for printing

ISO B Paper sizes

In addition to ‘A’ sizes, there are also ISO B sizes. This B series was designed to provide a wide range of size options for commercial printing and while following the same pattern as A, with B0 being the largest and B10 the smallest, their sizes are a little larger in comparison.

ISO C series paper size formats

You guessed it! Following the A and B sizes for printing, there are also ISO C sizes. This series is most commonly used for envelopes with the C size falling nicely in between its A and B counterparts. The aspect ratio of the ISO paper sizes simplifies the task of fitting bigger sizes into smaller envelopes. For example, ISO A4 folded in half into two A5 would fit within a C5 envelope.

If you are a business searching for a new set of stationery and a range of branded envelopes, these are the sizes for you.

What is the Normal Size for Printing?

Now you’ve got a good idea of what sizes are available, let’s talk about some of the most common sizes for printing. Without a doubt, the most popular paper size around is a sheet of A4 – it is everywhere! Not only is it the size most people use in their home office printers, but its size is used as letter paper, stationery and leaflets.

It is the perfect size for most daily printing needs. The size you need will always be dependent on what you are producing and where you are in the world. For example, if you are after a leaflet you may use an A4 whereas if you need an A5 booklet you would use the next larger size within the A series to fold in half and collate the sheets to make the finished booklet.

What Size Should I Use for Printing?

Now let’s talk about you and your printing project. How to choose which size you need depends entirely on what it is you’re printing! From now on we will only talk about A-series paper as that’s what we use to produce your printed products.

A0 Paper

This is the largest A size which we offer and measures a finished size of 841mm x 1189mm. Being the largest A size available we typically see this product used for wider or larger printing where the idea is to be seen from a distance. For example with our A0 sheet printing, we offer A0 printed posters, display boards & signs.

A1 Paper

This is the second largest A size which we offer and measures a finished size of 594mm x 841mm. Being one of the largest sizes available we typically see this product used for large printing where the idea is to be seen from a distance. We offer A1 printed posters, display boards & signs of this size, for this very reason.

A2 Paper

This is the third largest A size which we offer and measures a finished size of 420mm x 594mm. Not a huge size but still one of the largest sizes available. We typically see this size the same as A0 and A1 being used for wide printing where the idea is to be seen from a distance. We offer A2 printed posters, display boards & signs for this very reason.

A3 Paper

An A3 piece of paper is twice the size of a standard A4 size. Measuring a comfortable 297mm x 420mm. While not excessively large this change in size opens this side up to a whole range of uses. That is not to say that they can’t be used as posters they can, and we do offer printed display boards in this size too. With the advancement of technology, people have been able to afford an A3 printer in their own homes. This is and has been for many years a staple size for the food industry, perfect for takeaways to print all of the menu choices in an excellent layout prompting us to order.

A4 Paper

An A4 sheet of paper is the most common size paper used that we can all relate to! When we go to the supermarket and buy that pack of paper for our home printers this is typically the size available. Measuring 210 x 297 mm, we typically receive bank statements or bills in this format. They are the perfect letter format and documents can be prepared in this size in most software and most if not all can print this size. That’s not to say that that this is all this size is for, oh no.

The A4 size has a whole range of uses and we suppose that this is due to not only its size but also to the fact that in relation to us holding it in our hands, it seems to be the perfect size for a wide range of uses.

As we previously mentioned letters or printed Letterheads. Many Stapled Brochures or booklets are also great in this size allowing for the perfect balance between imagery and text. Grouping several A4s together can help create the perfect presentation booklet.

As a single sheet a printed A4 size can also be used as a perfect leaflet or menu handout, or an A4 folded leaflet.

210mm Square Paper

Whilst not as standard or as popular size as an A4, this size is relatively simple to explain, a square size of 210mm x 210mm. This is becoming seen more and more and has a wide range of uses! We have and do print many items in this size including Stapled Brochures and leaflets in this size. Their size helps businesses cut through the competition due to the ability to stand out in the crowd.

A5 Paper

It measures 148mm x 210mm and is half the size of a traditional A4 piece of paper. This too will be an easy size to relate to! We will all at some time or other been passed a leaflet or flyer of this size in the street or had some posted through our door. Their smaller size allows for a great balance between too much and just the right amount of information. You could almost think of these as the Goldilocks size when it comes to leaflet printing. Used around the world for advertising a wide range of businesses from beauty salons, mechanics and plumbers alike.

148mm Square Paper

Whilst not as standard or as popular size as an A5, this size is relatively simple to explain, a square size of 148mm x 148mm. This is becoming seen more and more and has a wide range of uses! We have and do print many items in this size including Invitations and flyers, their size helps businesses cut through the competition due to the ability to stand out against all the other noise.

A6 Paper

A quarter of the size of a standard A4 and measuring 105mm x 148mm these are the smallest size we offer online. To put their size into relation to a real-world product something that we can all relate to, a postcard. That’s right a typical postcard is this size it offers a moderate size for information and imagery, nothing too over the top, maybe highlighting that one call to action whether that be a new product or service.

How we measured our sizes.

In all of the sizes outlined above we measure using the following technique. All sizes are based upon a portrait orientation. With the paper laid out this way, we measure along and then up. A simple way to remember this is to go along the corridor and up the stairs. No, we didn’t come up with this but it’s something that stuck!

Is this the only way to measure paper today?

We get asked this a lot and the answer is no – there are still other paper measuring systems in place today.

Another large system that is used is the North American paper size system. We do not use them within our business so we can only show you the sizes below. As you can see below US paper sizes have a mix of sizes comparable with the ISO standard, with the addition of their ANSI sizes.

As a print company, we also use paper in sizes that are larger than we need these are known as untrimmed paper sizes. They are slightly larger than the A and B series. This is intentional for commercial printing machinery and allows us and other printers to produce your documents efficiently.

We use 2 measurements of untrimmed sizes depending on which of our machines we are using.

Hopefully, we have covered absolutely everything you need to know, and you found the answer you were looking for.