Toolman

Paper sizes

Dimensions in millimetres, inches and pixels for every standard format, plus what each one is actually used for.

ISO A series

The international standard, used for everyday paper almost everywhere outside North America. Each size is the previous one cut in half across its longer side, and every size keeps the same 1:√2 proportions.

SizeMillimetresInchesPixels @300 DPI
A0841 × 1189 mm33.11 × 46.81 in9933 × 14043
A1594 × 841 mm23.39 × 33.11 in7016 × 9933
A2420 × 594 mm16.54 × 23.39 in4961 × 7016
A3297 × 420 mm11.69 × 16.54 in3508 × 4961
A4210 × 297 mm8.27 × 11.69 in2480 × 3508
A5148 × 210 mm5.83 × 8.27 in1748 × 2480
A6105 × 148 mm4.13 × 5.83 in1240 × 1748
A774 × 105 mm2.91 × 4.13 in874 × 1240
A852 × 74 mm2.05 × 2.91 in614 × 874
A937 × 52 mm1.46 × 2.05 in437 × 614
A1026 × 37 mm1.02 × 1.46 in307 × 437

ISO B series

Sits geometrically between consecutive A sizes. Used where the A jump is too coarse — posters, books and envelopes.

SizeMillimetresInchesPixels @300 DPI
B01000 × 1414 mm39.37 × 55.67 in11811 × 16701
B1707 × 1000 mm27.83 × 39.37 in8350 × 11811
B2500 × 707 mm19.69 × 27.83 in5906 × 8350
B3353 × 500 mm13.9 × 19.69 in4169 × 5906
B4250 × 353 mm9.84 × 13.9 in2953 × 4169
B5176 × 250 mm6.93 × 9.84 in2079 × 2953
B6125 × 176 mm4.92 × 6.93 in1476 × 2079
B788 × 125 mm3.46 × 4.92 in1039 × 1476
B862 × 88 mm2.44 × 3.46 in732 × 1039

ISO C series

Envelope sizes. C(n) is designed to hold A(n) unfolded, which is the whole point of the series.

SizeMillimetresInchesPixels @300 DPI
C4229 × 324 mm9.02 × 12.76 in2705 × 3827
C5162 × 229 mm6.38 × 9.02 in1913 × 2705
C6114 × 162 mm4.49 × 6.38 in1346 × 1913
DL110 × 220 mm4.33 × 8.66 in1299 × 2598

North American

Letter, Legal and the ANSI drawing sizes. Defined in inches and not related to the ISO system, which is why A4 documents print badly on Letter and vice versa.

SizeMillimetresInchesPixels @300 DPI
Letter215.9 × 279.4 mm8.5 × 11 in2550 × 3300
Legal215.9 × 355.6 mm8.5 × 14 in2550 × 4200
Tabloid279.4 × 431.8 mm11 × 17 in3300 × 5100
Executive184.15 × 266.7 mm7.25 × 10.5 in2175 × 3150
Half Letter139.7 × 215.9 mm5.5 × 8.5 in1650 × 2550
Junior Legal127 × 203.2 mm5 × 8 in1500 × 2400
ANSI C431.8 × 558.8 mm17 × 22 in5100 × 6600
ANSI D558.8 × 863.6 mm22 × 34 in6600 × 10200
ANSI E863.6 × 1117.6 mm34 × 44 in10200 × 13200

Cards

Business card standards, which differ between North America and Europe.

SizeMillimetresInchesPixels @300 DPI
Business Card (US)88.9 × 50.8 mm3.5 × 2 in1050 × 600
Business Card (EU)85 × 55 mm3.35 × 2.17 in1004 × 650

Photo prints

Common print and frame sizes, defined in inches.

SizeMillimetresInchesPixels @300 DPI
Photo 4×6101.6 × 152.4 mm4 × 6 in1200 × 1800
Photo 5×7127 × 177.8 mm5 × 7 in1500 × 2100
Photo 8×10203.2 × 254 mm8 × 10 in2400 × 3000

The two systems, and why they do not mix

Most of the world uses ISO 216 — the A, B and C series — which is built on a 1:√2 ratio so that halving a sheet preserves its proportions. North America uses Letter and Legal, defined in inches with no such property. A4 is 210 × 297 mm; Letter is 216 × 279 mm. Neither scaling nor rotating turns one into the other, which is why cross-Atlantic PDFs so often print with clipped edges.

Choosing a resolution

DPIWhen
72Screen mock-ups only. Printing at 72 DPI produces visibly soft, pixelated output.
150Draft prints and internal documents where quality is secondary to speed.
300The commercial print standard. Use this unless told otherwise.
600+Line art, fine text and archival scanning, where edges must stay crisp.

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