Paper Size & Printing Guide
Compare A-series, B-series, and North American paper sizes. View dimensions in mm or inches and learn practical print setup tips for office and design workflows.
| Name | Series | Width | Height | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A0 | A-series | 841 mm | 1189 mm | Posters, technical plans |
| A1 | A-series | 594 mm | 841 mm | Large diagrams, flip charts |
| A2 | A-series | 420 mm | 594 mm | Calendars, medium posters |
| A3 | A-series | 297 mm | 420 mm | Booklets, drawings, menus |
| A4 | A-series | 210 mm | 297 mm | Standard office documents |
| A5 | A-series | 148 mm | 210 mm | Flyers, notebooks |
Selected size preview
A4
A-series
210 mm x 297 mm
Aspect ratio: 1.414 : 1
What is the A-series paper system?
A-series is part of ISO 216 and is used by most countries outside North America. The key design principle is that each size keeps the same aspect ratio (about 1:1.414). When you fold or scale from one size to the next (for example A4 to A5), proportions remain consistent, which is ideal for photocopying and document scaling.
Exact half-area map: A0 = 1/2, A1 = 1/4, A2 = 1/8, ... of the full canvas
A6 is exactly half the area of A5. The last small block continues the same halving rule.
A4 is the common office format, while A3 is often used for diagrams, brochures, and two-page spreads. A5 is popular for notebooks and handouts.
B-series and North America sizes
B-series (ISO 216) fills the gap between A sizes and is often used for posters, books, and print products where A sizes feel too small or too large.
North American standards use Letter, Legal, Tabloid, and ANSI engineering formats. These sizes have different aspect ratios from A-series, so mixed-region workflows may need manual layout adjustments.
The most common cross-region issue is Letter vs A4. Letter is slightly wider and shorter than A4, which can cause clipping, line breaks, or shifted pagination.
Practical printing checklist
Before export
- Set document size first, not after design completion.
- Use 3 mm bleed for print-ready artwork if required.
- Keep text inside safe margins to avoid trimming issues.
Printer settings
- Disable auto-fit if exact scale is needed.
- Pick the same paper size in driver and source file.
- Check portrait vs landscape orientation explicitly.
Quality control
- Print one proof before batch production.
- Verify crop marks, margins, and page breaks.
- Confirm final size in both mm and inches for vendors.