A5 vs Envelope No. 12

Q: Can I print A5 on Envelope No. 12?

Not at full size. Scale it to 81.5% and it fits inside Envelope No. 12 with 0 × 108.2 mm to spare.

Q: Which is bigger, A5 or Envelope No. 12?

Envelope No. 12 — 120.65 × 279.4 mm against 148 × 210 mm, which is 8.5% more area.

	A5	Envelope No. 12
Millimetres	148 × 210	120.65 × 279.4
Inches	5.83 × 8.27	4.75 × 11
Centimetres	14.8 × 21	12.1 × 27.9
Aspect ratio	1:1.42	1:2.32
Area	310.8 cm²	337.1 cm²

Which is bigger

Envelope No. 12, by 8.5% in area. A5 is 27.3 mm wider than Envelope No. 12. Envelope No. 12 is 69.4 mm taller.

Printing one on the other

Neither sheet fits inside the other at full size: A5 is the wider of the two while Envelope No. 12 is the taller, so each overruns the other on one edge. Whichever way you go, something has to scale or crop.

You want	Set the print scale to	Leaves
A5 artwork on Envelope No. 12 paper	81.5%	0 × 108.2 mm margin
Envelope No. 12 artwork on A5 paper	75.2%	57.3 × 0 mm margin

These are the numbers for the "custom scale" box in a print dialog. "Fit to page" computes the same thing, but knowing the figure tells you in advance whether the result will look deliberate or accidental.

Why the shapes matter

The proportions differ: A5 is 1:1.42 and Envelope No. 12 is 1:2.32. That difference is why a layout moved between them never quite lines up — scale it to fit one edge and the other is left with 108.2 mm of unwanted margin.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between A5 and Envelope No. 12?

A5 is 148 × 210 mm and Envelope No. 12 is 120.65 × 279.4 mm. Envelope No. 12 is the larger of the two by 8.5% in area.

Can I print A5 on Envelope No. 12?

Not at full size. Scale it to 81.5% and it fits inside Envelope No. 12 with 0 × 108.2 mm to spare.

Which is bigger, A5 or Envelope No. 12?

Envelope No. 12 — 120.65 × 279.4 mm against 148 × 210 mm, which is 8.5% more area.

Related comparisons

A5 in full · Envelope No. 12 in full · All size comparisons · All paper sizes