Paper sizes

✎ This article/section is a stub — some half-sorted notes, not necessarily checked, not necessarily correct. Feel free to ignore, or tell me about it.

Paper sizes

Various relatively common sizes

✎ This article/section is a stub — some half-sorted notes, not necessarily checked, not necessarily correct. Feel free to ignore, or tell me about it.

Printers often support a range of similar paper sizes, often including:

• A4 (used in most countries)
  • 210 × 297mm
  • (which is roughly 8.27x11.7")
  • Part of ISO 216's A series (see below)

• Letter (in the US and a few others)
  • 8.5" x 11"
  • (which is roughly 215.9 x 279.4mm)

And also occasionally:

• Legal - 8.5" x 14" (216 × 356 mm)

• B5 (ISO and/or JIS)
  • ISO: 176×250 mm
  • JIS: 182×257 mm

• A5 (148 × 210 mm)

• “Ledger/Tabloid” (279 × 432 mm)

• Executive (190 × 254 mm), and

Scanners often support sizes up to ~A4/Letter, and usually a little more..

Photocopiers often support B4, A3, partially because that includes newspaper sizes.

A4, B5 and such are part of series:

• ISO 216 A series (JIS A series is identical) (where height/width = sqrt(2) = 1.4142)
  • 4A0 (1682×2378mm)
  • 2A0 (1189×1682mm)
  • A0 (841×1189mm, 1 m²) (posters, technical drawings)
  • A1 (594×841mm) (flip charts, posters)
  • A2 (420×594mm) (flip charts, drawings, diagrams, large tables)
  • A3 (297×420mm) (newspapers, drawings, diagrams, large tables)
  • A4 (210×297mm) (printers, magazines, letters, magazines, forms, catalogs, copying machine)
  • A5 (148×210mm) (books, note pads)
  • A6 (105×148mm) (books, postcards)
  • A7 (74×105mm)
  • A8 (52×74mm) (some playing cards, some business cards)
  • A9 (37×52mm)
  • A10 (26×37mm)

• ISO 216 B series, 'ledger'
  • B0 (1000 × 1414mm)
  • B1 (707 × 1000mm)
  • B2 (500 × 707mm)
  • B3 (353 × 500mm) (newspapers)
  • B4 (250 × 353mm) (newspapers)
  • B5 (176 × 250mm) (books)
  • B6 (125 × 176mm) (books)
  • B7 (88 × 125mm)
  • B8 (62 × 88mm)
  • B9 (44 × 62mm)
  • B10 (31 × 44mm)

• JIS B sizes (JIS)
  • B0 (1030 × 1456mm)
  • B1 (728 × 1030mm)
  • B2 (515 × 728mm)
  • B3 (364 × 515mm)
  • B4 (257 × 364mm)
  • B5 (182 × 257mm)
  • B6 (128 × 182mm)
  • B7 (91 × 128mm)
  • B8 (64 × 91mm)
  • B9 (45 × 64mm)
  • B10 (32 × 45mm)
  • B11 (22 × 32mm)
  • B12 (16 × 22mm)

See also

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_size

• http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-paper.html

Relevant standars:

• ISO 216 defines the fairly well known A series (A4, A3, A5, etc.), and also related B, and C series
• ANSI defines letter, tabloid/ledger
• JIS P 0138-61 (Japanese) defines:
  • The same A series as ISO 216
  • a slightly different B series

Unsorted:

• http://www.printernational.org/american-paper-sizes.php
• http://www.prepressure.com/library/paper-sizes
• http://www.inkjetart.com/weight.html
• http://www.dpandi.com/paper/index.html

Weight/sturdiness

✎ This article/section is a stub — some half-sorted notes, not necessarily checked, not necessarily correct. Feel free to ignore, or tell me about it.

Paper comes in various weights/sturdinesses and finishes/textures. Laser printers are usually general-purpose in that regard, but some may not work so well with some - particularly once the paper feeding mechanism is somewhat worn.

On weights:

• In the US you will read figures like '20-pound', '24-pound' and such, which is a measure per ream, where a ream usually means 500 sheets of 17 by 22 inch - exactly four times the size of Letter (so a 500-page pack of 20 pound Letter weighs 5 pounds).

• In metric countries you often see something like '80 gram', which actually actually means 80 grams per square meter (g/m², sometimes abbreviated gsm)

Printing paper is usually between 60g and 120g, and non-specialist stores that sell just one weight usually sell 80 grams / 20 pound. (..15 to 30 pound)

You could check your printer's manual for optimal choice for your printer. For example, our printer prefers 90grams / 24lb paper, although it will deal well enough with 80 grams / 20 pound paper.

Printing paper is often between 0.07 millimeters (0.0028 in) and 0.18 millimeters (0.0071 in) thick.

Related things

Holes

ISO 838:

• two holes of 6 ±0.5mm diameter,
• 80mm ±0.5mm apart
• 12±1 mm to the nearest edge of the sheet
• symmetrically around the center
• ...so good for A7 and larger

There is a four-hole variation of the same, nicknamed '888' because they are all 80mm apart, which adds stability and lessens tearing in ring binders that have four rings. It is not standardized, yet widely used.

Other standard sizes

• ISO 7810 defines sizes of identity cards, visas, banking/credit cards and such [1]