Paper Sizes Chart: US and ISO Dimensions in Inches, mm and Pixels

The paper sizes most people need are US Letter (8.5 × 11 in, 215.9 × 279.4 mm), Legal (8.5 × 14 in), Tabloid (11 × 17 in) and, outside North America, A4 (210 × 297 mm) and A5 (148 × 210 mm). North America uses inch-based sizes that grew out of tradition. Almost everywhere else uses ISO 216, a metric system in which every sheet has the same proportions. Below is every common size in inches, millimeters, points and pixels at 300 DPI, with the logic behind each system and advice on which size suits which job.

We build a page-layout app, and the page-size dropdown is the first control anyone touches. It is also where most print problems start. A flyer gets designed at A4 and printed on Letter, a poster is exported at the wrong pixel size, or somebody asks the print shop for “11 × 17” and the shop asks back, “Tabloid or Ledger?” This page is the reference we wanted to have on hand.

Quick chart: the most common paper sizes

If you only need the headline numbers, this is the table to bookmark. Full charts for every family follow further down.

Size	Inches	Millimeters	Pixels @ 300 DPI	Typical use
US Letter	8.5 × 11	215.9 × 279.4	2550 × 3300	Everyday printing in the US and Canada
US Legal	8.5 × 14	215.9 × 355.6	2550 × 4200	Contracts, forms, long bulletins
Tabloid (Ledger)	11 × 17	279.4 × 431.8	3300 × 5100	Posters, spreadsheets, folded programs
Half Letter (Statement)	5.5 × 8.5	139.7 × 215.9	1650 × 2550	Handouts, inserts, folded bulletins
Executive	7.25 × 10.5	184.15 × 266.7	2175 × 3150	Personal and executive letterhead
A3	11.69 × 16.54	297 × 420	3508 × 4961	Posters, folded programs (ISO)
A4	8.27 × 11.69	210 × 297	2480 × 3508	Everyday printing outside North America
A5	5.83 × 8.27	148 × 210	1748 × 2480	Booklets, notebooks, flyers
A6	4.13 × 5.83	105 × 148	1240 × 1748	Postcards, small flyers
ARCH D	24 × 36	609.6 × 914.4	7200 × 10800	Large posters, architectural drawings

Two things to notice straight away. The US sizes are round in inches and awkward in millimeters. The ISO sizes are round in millimeters and awkward in inches. That tells you which unit each system was designed in, and it is the best clue for spotting which system a document came from.

How to read the numbers on this page

All dimensions are width × height in portrait orientation unless the size name implies otherwise, as Ledger does.

• Millimeters and inches. An inch is defined as exactly 25.4 mm. The US sizes are defined in inches, so their millimeter figures are exact (8.5 in × 25.4 = 215.9 mm). The ISO sizes are defined in whole millimeters, so their inch figures are conversions rounded to two decimals. A4’s “8.27 in” is really 8.2677 in.
• Points. PDF and PostScript measure pages in points, with 72 points to the inch. US sizes come out as whole numbers (Letter is 612 × 792 pt). ISO sizes are rounded to the nearest point, so A4 is 595 × 842 pt.
• Pixels at 300 DPI. 300 dots per inch is the usual target for print-quality images. Multiply inches by 300 and round to the nearest pixel. These figures are for an image that fills the trimmed page exactly, with no bleed.

If your design runs to the edge, add bleed. Print shops usually want 1/8 in (0.125 in) on every side in the US, or 3 mm on every side in metric countries. A full-bleed Letter page is then 8.75 × 11.25 in, which is 630 × 810 pt or 2625 × 3375 px at 300 DPI. A full-bleed A4 page is 216 × 303 mm, which is 612 × 859 pt or 2551 × 3579 px at 300 DPI.

US paper sizes: Letter, Legal, Tabloid and the rest

These are the “loose sheet” sizes you buy by the ream in North America. They are traditional sizes with no single mathematical rule connecting them.

Size	Inches	Millimeters	Points	Pixels @ 300 DPI
Letter	8.5 × 11	215.9 × 279.4	612 × 792	2550 × 3300
Legal	8.5 × 14	215.9 × 355.6	612 × 1008	2550 × 4200
Tabloid	11 × 17	279.4 × 431.8	792 × 1224	3300 × 5100
Ledger	17 × 11	431.8 × 279.4	1224 × 792	5100 × 3300
Executive	7.25 × 10.5	184.15 × 266.7	522 × 756	2175 × 3150
Statement / Half Letter	5.5 × 8.5	139.7 × 215.9	396 × 612	1650 × 2550
Government-Letter	8 × 10.5	203.2 × 266.7	576 × 756	2400 × 3150
Junior Legal	5 × 8	127 × 203.2	360 × 576	1500 × 2400

A few notes on the sizes people search for most:

• US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) is the default in the United States and Canada and the size nearly every North American printer loads. If you are comparing it with A4, our A4 vs Letter guide covers the exact differences and what breaks when a document crosses between them.
• Legal (8.5 × 14 in) has the same width as Letter and is 3 inches longer. It is used for contracts, some official forms and longer church bulletins. There is no ISO equivalent, and Legal is the size most likely to be missing from a printer tray outside North America.
• Executive (7.25 × 10.5 in) is a slightly smaller sheet that has long been used for personal stationery and executive letterhead. Many printer drivers still list it, so if a page prints oddly small, check that Executive was not selected by accident.
• Statement (5.5 × 8.5 in), also sold as Half Letter or Memo, is a Letter sheet cut in half across its long side. It is used for receipts, invoices, inserts and half-page flyers. A Letter sheet folded in half gives the same finished size, which is why so many church bulletins end up at 5.5 × 8.5 in.
• Government-Letter (8 × 10.5 in) is the older US federal government size, now largely replaced by standard Letter. You are most likely to meet it in older documents and forms.
• Junior Legal (5 × 8 in) is more of a notepad and stationery size than a printing size.

What is 11 × 17 paper called?

11 × 17 paper is called Tabloid when it is upright and Ledger when it is turned sideways. Tabloid is 11 × 17 in (portrait) and Ledger is 17 × 11 in (landscape). The sheet itself is identical. The engineering name for it is ANSI B, and printer drivers may list it as “Tabloid,” “Ledger,” “11 × 17” or “ANSI B” depending on the manufacturer.

The easy way to picture it is two Letter sheets side by side. That is why 11 × 17 is the standard sheet for a four-page Letter-size newsletter or program: print two Letter pages on each side, fold once down the middle, and you have a booklet with 8.5 × 11 in pages.

In a print shop, “11 × 17” is the least ambiguous way to ask for it.

ANSI paper sizes (A to E)

The ANSI series, defined in the ASME Y14.1 engineering drawing standard, formalizes the US sizes into a system. ANSI A is Letter, and each step up doubles the area by putting two of the previous sheets side by side.

Size	Inches	Millimeters	Points	Pixels @ 300 DPI
ANSI A	8.5 × 11	215.9 × 279.4	612 × 792	2550 × 3300
ANSI B	11 × 17	279.4 × 431.8	792 × 1224	3300 × 5100
ANSI C	17 × 22	431.8 × 558.8	1224 × 1584	5100 × 6600
ANSI D	22 × 34	558.8 × 863.6	1584 × 2448	6600 × 10200
ANSI E	34 × 44	863.6 × 1117.6	2448 × 3168	10200 × 13200

Because Letter’s proportions are not √2 (more on that below), doubling does not preserve the shape. The ANSI series alternates between two aspect ratios. A, C and E are about 1:1.29, while B and D are about 1:1.55. Shrinking an ANSI D drawing onto ANSI B paper works neatly because the shapes match. Shrinking ANSI C onto ANSI B does not.

One common mix-up: ANSI A is not A4, and ANSI B is not ISO B. The letters mean different things in the two systems.

Architectural paper sizes (ARCH A to E)

Architects in the US use their own series, which is separate from ANSI. ARCH sizes are slightly larger than their ANSI counterparts and use rounder numbers.

Size	Inches	Millimeters	Points	Pixels @ 300 DPI
ARCH A	9 × 12	228.6 × 304.8	648 × 864	2700 × 3600
ARCH B	12 × 18	304.8 × 457.2	864 × 1296	3600 × 5400
ARCH C	18 × 24	457.2 × 609.6	1296 × 1728	5400 × 7200
ARCH D	24 × 36	609.6 × 914.4	1728 × 2592	7200 × 10800
ARCH E1	30 × 42	762 × 1066.8	2160 × 3024	9000 × 12600
ARCH E	36 × 48	914.4 × 1219.2	2592 × 3456	10800 × 14400

The ARCH series alternates between 3:4 (A, C, E) and 2:3 (B, D). ARCH E1 at 30 × 42 in sits between D and E and is common for full-size construction sets when ARCH E will not fit the plotter.

You do not have to be an architect to use these sizes. 18 × 24 in (ARCH C) and 24 × 36 in (ARCH D) are the most common large poster sizes in the US, so poster frames and print-shop price lists are built around them.

ISO A series: A0 to A10

The ISO 216 A series is what most of the world uses. Every size is defined in whole millimeters.

Size	Millimeters	Inches	Points	Pixels @ 300 DPI
A0	841 × 1189	33.11 × 46.81	2384 × 3370	9933 × 14043
A1	594 × 841	23.39 × 33.11	1684 × 2384	7016 × 9933
A2	420 × 594	16.54 × 23.39	1191 × 1684	4961 × 7016
A3	297 × 420	11.69 × 16.54	842 × 1191	3508 × 4961
A4	210 × 297	8.27 × 11.69	595 × 842	2480 × 3508
A5	148 × 210	5.83 × 8.27	420 × 595	1748 × 2480
A6	105 × 148	4.13 × 5.83	298 × 420	1240 × 1748
A7	74 × 105	2.91 × 4.13	210 × 298	874 × 1240
A8	52 × 74	2.05 × 2.91	147 × 210	614 × 874
A9	37 × 52	1.46 × 2.05	105 × 147	437 × 614
A10	26 × 37	1.02 × 1.46	74 × 105	307 × 437

In practice, A4 is the office sheet, A5 is the booklet, notebook and flyer size, A6 is the postcard, A3 is the small poster or folded program, and A2 to A0 are posters and technical drawings. A7 and below are mostly used for cards, tickets and labels.

The √2 aspect ratio: why the A series works

Every A size has an aspect ratio of 1:√2, about 1:1.414. That ratio has one special property: cut the sheet in half across its long side and both halves have exactly the same shape as the original. No other rectangle does this.

The rest of the series follows from that one choice:

• A0 has an area of one square meter. Its sides are rounded to whole millimeters, 841 × 1189 mm, which gives 999,949 mm².
• Each size is half the one before. A1 is half of A0, A2 is half of A1, and so on down. A4 is A0 halved four times.
• Two of a size make the next one up. Two A4 sheets side by side make an A3, and two A5 pages fit on one A4 with nothing wasted.
• Scaling is exact. Because every size has the same shape, reducing A4 to A5 needs a single factor of 1/√2 (about 71 percent), and enlarging A4 to A3 needs √2 (about 141 percent). Photocopiers sold in A4 countries have 71% and 141% presets for this reason. The page fills the new sheet completely with no cropping and no white bands.

The halving rule, and why A5 is 148 mm and not 148.5 mm

To get the next smaller size, take the long side and halve it, rounding down to the nearest whole millimeter. The old short side becomes the new long side.

• A0 is 841 × 1189. Half of 1189 is 594.5, which rounds down to 594, so A1 is 594 × 841.
• A3 is 297 × 420. Half of 420 is 210, so A4 is 210 × 297.
• A4 is 210 × 297. Half of 297 is 148.5, which rounds down to 148, so A5 is 148 × 210.

That rounding is why the aspect ratios in the table drift very slightly around 1.414 as the sizes get smaller. It is also why two A5 sheets side by side are 296 mm wide, a millimeter short of A4’s 297 mm height. Nobody will ever notice that millimeter in print, but it explains why the numbers are not perfectly tidy.

Compare the US system. Letter is 1:1.294. Half a Letter sheet is 5.5 × 8.5 in, which is 1:1.545, a completely different shape. Scale a Letter page onto Tabloid and the best you can do is 129 percent, which leaves about 2.76 inches of the 17-inch side unused. The US sizes were never designed to nest.

ISO B series: B0 to B10

The B series fills the gaps between A sizes. Each B size is the geometric mean of the A size with the same number and the next A size up, so B4 sits between A4 and A3. B0 is exactly 1 meter on its short side.

Size	Millimeters	Inches	Points	Pixels @ 300 DPI
B0	1000 × 1414	39.37 × 55.67	2835 × 4008	11811 × 16701
B1	707 × 1000	27.83 × 39.37	2004 × 2835	8350 × 11811
B2	500 × 707	19.69 × 27.83	1417 × 2004	5906 × 8350
B3	353 × 500	13.90 × 19.69	1001 × 1417	4169 × 5906
B4	250 × 353	9.84 × 13.90	709 × 1001	2953 × 4169
B5	176 × 250	6.93 × 9.84	499 × 709	2079 × 2953
B6	125 × 176	4.92 × 6.93	354 × 499	1476 × 2079
B7	88 × 125	3.46 × 4.92	249 × 354	1039 × 1476
B8	62 × 88	2.44 × 3.46	176 × 249	732 × 1039
B9	44 × 62	1.73 × 2.44	125 × 176	520 × 732
B10	31 × 44	1.22 × 1.73	88 × 125	366 × 520

B sizes are used mainly for posters (B1 and B2), books, and some envelopes and notebooks. B7 is the same size as a passport page (ISO ID-3, 125 × 88 mm).

Watch out for Japanese B sizes. Japan’s JIS B series uses the same names with different dimensions: JIS B5 is 182 × 257 mm and JIS B4 is 257 × 364 mm, both a little larger than ISO B5 (176 × 250) and ISO B4 (250 × 353). If a printer driver or layout app offers “B5,” check the millimeters to see which one it means.

C-series envelopes and DL

The C series, defined for envelopes in ISO 269, is the geometric mean of the A and B sizes with the same number. The result is an envelope just a few millimeters larger than the matching A sheet, so C4 holds A4 flat.

Envelope	Millimeters	Inches	Points	Pixels @ 300 DPI	Holds
C4	229 × 324	9.02 × 12.76	649 × 918	2705 × 3827	A4 unfolded
C5	162 × 229	6.38 × 9.02	459 × 649	1913 × 2705	A4 folded once (A5)
C6	114 × 162	4.49 × 6.38	323 × 459	1346 × 1913	A4 folded twice (A6)
DL	110 × 220	4.33 × 8.66	312 × 624	1299 × 2598	A4 folded in thirds (99 × 210 mm)

DL is the standard business envelope in ISO countries. It is sized for an A4 letter folded into three equal panels, which is also why an A4 tri-fold brochure has panels of about 99 × 210 mm. The US equivalent is the #10 envelope, 4.125 × 9.5 in (104.8 × 241.3 mm), which holds a Letter sheet folded in thirds.

US vs ISO: the differences that matter

	US / ANSI	ISO 216
Defined in	Inches	Millimeters
Everyday sheet	Letter, 8.5 × 11 in	A4, 210 × 297 mm
Shape	Varies (1:1.29 to 1:1.65)	Always 1:√2 (about 1:1.414)
Half a sheet is	A different shape	The same shape
Next size up	Tabloid, 11 × 17 in	A3, 297 × 420 mm
Half-size sheet	Half Letter, 5.5 × 8.5 in	A5, 148 × 210 mm
Long-sheet option	Legal, 8.5 × 14 in	None
Used in	US, Canada and a few others	Most of the world

The near-equivalent pairs are close but never identical, and that is where print jobs go wrong:

• Letter vs A4. Letter is 5.9 mm (0.23 in) wider and A4 is 17.6 mm (0.69 in) taller. Neither fits inside the other. The A4 vs Letter guide covers the scaling and clipping in detail, along with a safe layout area for a file that has to print on both.
• Tabloid vs A3. A3 is 17.6 mm (0.69 in) wider and Tabloid is 11.8 mm (0.46 in) taller.
• Half Letter vs A5. A5 is 8.3 mm (0.33 in) wider and Half Letter is 5.9 mm (0.23 in) taller.

The practical rule is the same in every case. Choose the page size for the paper it will actually be printed on before you start the layout, and do not rely on “fit to page” to fix a mismatch afterward. Scaling moves every margin, fold line and crop mark along with the content.

Which paper size to use for flyers, bulletins, newsletters and posters

Job	US choice	ISO choice	Notes
Noticeboard flyer	Letter, 8.5 × 11 in	A4	Readable from a distance and prints on any office printer
Handout flyer	Half Letter, 5.5 × 8.5 in	A5	Prints two to a sheet, so it costs half as much
Leaflet drop	Quarter Letter, 4.25 × 5.5 in	A6	Prints four to a sheet
Church bulletin	Letter folded to 5.5 × 8.5 in	A4 folded to A5	Legal folds to 7 × 8.5 in for a longer order of service
Four-page bulletin or newsletter	Tabloid folded to 8.5 × 11 in	A3 folded to A4	Full-size pages with one fold
Newsletter	Letter	A4	Two or three columns, single sheet or stapled
Tri-fold brochure	Letter, landscape	A4, landscape	Panels of about 3.67 × 8.5 in or 99 × 210 mm
Postcard	4 × 6 in	A6	Check postal size limits before a mailing
Small poster	Tabloid, 11 × 17 in	A3	Fits a wide-format office printer
Large poster	18 × 24 or 24 × 36 in	A2 or A1	Print shop or plotter

For flyers specifically, our flyer sizes guide goes through each option and its printing cost. For brochures, the brochure folds guide covers panel widths for half-folds, tri-folds, Z-folds and gate folds. For bulletins, our guide to making a church bulletin and our free church bulletin templates cover the fold and page-count choices. For a ready-made starting point at the right size, browse the templates.

Printer paper sizes: what a normal printer can take

The phrase “printer paper” usually means one of three sheets: Letter in North America, A4 everywhere else, and Legal for the occasional long form. Most home and office printers also accept Executive, Half Letter or A5, and common envelopes through the main tray or a manual feed slot.

Past that, the equipment changes:

• Tabloid (11 × 17) and A3 need a wide-format printer. Many office copiers have a tray for them, but most home inkjets and small lasers do not.
• ANSI C, A2 and larger, including every ARCH size above ARCH B, go to a large-format printer or plotter, usually at a print shop.
• Borderless printing is a separate question from paper size. Most desktop printers cannot print right to the edge, so either keep content inside a margin of about 0.25 to 0.5 in, or add bleed and have the job printed and trimmed professionally.

If a document prints small, cropped or off-center, check three settings in this order: the document’s own page size, the paper size selected in the print dialog, and the scaling option. It should be set to “Actual size” or “100%,” not “Fit to page.”

Setting the page size in Korva

Korva is a desktop publishing app for macOS 12+, Windows 10+ and 64-bit Linux. It runs offline with no account. It ships page-size presets for Letter, Legal, Tabloid, A3, A4, A5, B5, postcard, business card, banner and #10 envelope, plus a custom size for everything else in the charts above. The current page size stays visible in the status bar, so a Letter document is not quietly heading for an A4 printer. Export writes a print-ready PDF at exactly that size and can add crop marks and bleed for designs that run to the edge.

Korva also opens old Microsoft Publisher .pub files, which is useful when an old bulletin or flyer needs its page size changed. The Free tier opens and edits any .pub, and a new user can export their first complete project as often as needed. Korva Pro is a one-time US$49 purchase for unlimited exports, batch conversion, editable .kva saves, mail merge and master pages. You can download it here.

The bottom line

• US Letter is 8.5 × 11 in (215.9 × 279.4 mm).
• Legal is 8.5 × 14 in.
• Tabloid is 11 × 17 in, and it is called Ledger when turned sideways.
• A4 is 210 × 297 mm (8.27 × 11.69 in).
• A5 is 148 × 210 mm.

The A series works because every sheet has a 1:√2 shape, so halving and doubling never change the proportions. The US sizes have no such rule, which is why Half Letter and Tabloid are different shapes from Letter.

Pick the size from the paper you will actually print on, set it before you lay anything out, export the PDF at that size, and print at 100 percent. That habit prevents nearly every page-size problem in the charts above.

Microsoft and Microsoft Publisher are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Korva is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.