PAPER SIZES

THE A SERIES
The A series is for general printed matter including stationery and publications. The basic standard sheet, A0 measures 841 x 1189mm, which is the equivalent of a square metre in area. Each number after the series initial A indicates a halving of the preceding larger area. Thus A1 is half of A0, A2 is one quarter of A0, and A3 is an eighth of the A0 sheet area, etc.

A0 841 x 1189 mm
A1 594 x 841 mm
A2 420 x 594 mm
A3 297 x 420 mm
A4 210 x 297 mm
A5 148 x 210 mm
A6 105 x 148 mm
A7 74 x 105 mm

THE B SERIES
The B series is about half way between two A sizes. It is intended as an alternative to the A series, used primarily for posters, wall charts and similar pieces where the difference in size of the larger sheets in the A series represents too large a jump.

B0 1000 x 1414 mm
B1 707 x 1000 mm
B2 500 x 707 mm
B3 353 x 500 mm
B4 250 x 353 mm
B5 176 x 250 mm
B6 125 x 176 mm
B6/C4 125 x 324 mm

THE C SERIES
The C series is used for folders, post cards, and most importantly, for envelopes. The C series of envelope sizes is suitable insertion of A series sizes either flat or folded. A C6 envelope will take an A6 flat sheet, an A5 folded once, or an A4 sheet folded twice.

C0 917 x 1297 mm
C1 648 x 917 mm
C2 458 x 648 mm
C3 324 x 458 mm
C4 229 x 324 mm
C5 162 x 229 mm
C6 114 x 162 mm
DL 110 X 220 mm
C7 81 x 114 mm

Why Does the USA Use Different Paper Sizes to the Rest of the World?
The USA uses a different paper size to the rest of the industrialised world because the USA has yet to discover the wonder of the ‘A’ series of papers (an ISO standard).
The wonder of the ‘A’ series is that is has a ratio of height to width whereby when it is cut in half or doubled the ratio remains the same and it also makes the next size in the series. That is, cutting an A4 sheet in half gives you an A5 sheet and doubling A4 gives you A3.

Why is this such a benefit?
Because you can efficiently photocopy two A4 pages onto an A3 sheet without wastage. A simple concept, but in the USA, a photocopier may contain Letter and Ledger sizes – but copying one onto the other leaves unequal margins and wasted paper which needs to be trimmed to look good.

Who Invented the ‘A’ Series?
This standard was developed in France in 1794 but then forgotten and reinvented in Germany in 1922 – then known as the DIN series. This was a year after the Committee on the Simplification of Paper Sizes devised the US Letter standard. The German series was adopted throughout the world over the next several decades, eventually becoming an international (ISO 216) standard in 1975.
While the series is now known as the ‘A’ series with envelopes forming the ‘C’ series, a vestige of its German origin is the DL (Deutsch Lang) or DIN (Deutsch Industry Norm) envelope.

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