Paper size 166105 225875013 2008-07-15T20:28:05Z 66.244.204.203 Fractions not showing in main article e.g. 8½ showing as 8. This is misleading, letter-size appearing to the reader as "8.x 11" as opposes to 8½ x 11. Thus, I have modified the fractions to decimals. [[Image:A size illustration2 with letter and legal.svg|thumb|right|Comparison of the most common paper sizes.]] There have been many standard '''sizes of [[paper]]''' at different times and in different countries, but today there are two widespread systems in use: the international standard (A4 and its siblings) and the North American sizes. ==The international standard: ISO 216== [[Image:A size illustration.svg|thumb|right|A size chart illustrating the ISO A series.]] {{main|ISO 216}} The international paper size standard, ISO 216, is based on the [[Germany|German]] [[Deutsches Institut für Normung|DIN]] 476 standard for paper sizes. Using the [[metric system]], the base format is a sheet of paper measuring 1 [[square metre|m²]] in area (A0 paper size). Successive paper sizes in the series A1, A2, A3, and so forth, are defined by halving the preceding paper size parallel to its shorter side. The most frequently used paper size is [[A4 paper size|A4]] (210 × 297 mm). An advantage is that every standard A4 sheet made from 80 grams (per square meter, that is A0) paper [[weight|weighs]] 5 [[metric system|grams]], allowing one to know the weight - and associated postage rate - by just counting the number of sheets used, if the weight of the envelope is known. This standard has been adopted by all countries in the world except the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. In [[Mexico]], [[Colombia]], [[Chile]] and the [[Philippines]], despite the ISO standard having been officially adopted, the U.S. "[[Letter (paper size)|letter]]" format is still in common use. {{anchor|Lichtenberg ratio}} ISO paper sizes are all based on a single [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] of the [[square root of two]], or approximately 1:1.4142. The advantages of basing a paper size upon this ratio were already noted in 1786 by the [[Germany|German]] scientist [[Georg Lichtenberg]] (in a [http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/lichtenberg-letter.html letter to Johann Beckmann]): if a sheet with aspect ratio &radic;2 is divided into two equal halves parallel to its shortest side, then the halves will again have aspect ratio &radic;2. In the beginning of the twentieth century, Dr Walter Porstmann turned Lichtenberg's idea into a proper system of different paper sizes. Porstmann's system was introduced as a [[DIN]] standard (DIN 476) in [[Germany]] in 1922, replacing a vast variety of other paper formats. Even today the paper sizes are called "DIN A4" in everyday use in Germany. The DIN 476 standard spread quickly to other countries, and before the outbreak of [[World War II]] it had been adopted by the following countries: * [[Belgium]] (1924) * [[Netherlands]] (1925) * [[Norway]] (1926) * [[Finland]] (1927) * [[Switzerland]] (1929) * [[Sweden]] (1930) * [[Soviet Union]] (1934) * [[Hungary]] (1938) * [[Italy]] (1939) During the war it was adopted by [[Uruguay]] (1942), [[Argentina]] (1943) and [[Brazil]] (1943); and directly afterwards the standard continued to spread to other countries: {{col-start}} {{col-break}} * [[Spain]] (1947) * [[Austria]] (1948) * [[Romania]] (1949) * [[Japan]] (1951) * [[Denmark]] (1953) * [[Czechoslovakia]] (1953) * [[Iran]] (1948) * [[Israel]] (1954) * [[Portugal]] (1954) * [[Yugoslavia]] (1956) * [[India]] (1957) * [[Poland]] (1957) * [[United Kingdom]] (1959) * [[Ireland]] (1959) * [[Venezuela]] (1962) * [[New Zealand]] (1963) * [[Iceland]] (1964) * [[Mexico]] (1965) {{col-break}} * [[South Africa]] (1966) * [[France]] (1967) * [[Peru]] (1967) * [[Turkey]] (1967) * [[Chile]] (1968) * [[Greece]] (1970) * [[Rhodesia]] (1970) * [[Singapore]] (1970) * [[Bangladesh]] (1972) * [[Thailand]] (1973) * [[Barbados]] (1973) * [[Australia]] (1974) * [[Ecuador]] (1974) * [[Colombia]] (1975) * [[Kuwait]] (1975) {{col-end}} By 1975 so many countries were using the German system that it was established as an [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] standard, as well as the official [[United Nations]] document format. By 1977 A4 was the standard letter format in 88 of 148 countries, and today only the U.S. and Canada have not adopted the system. The largest standard size, A0, has an area of 1 [[square metre|m²]]. The length of the long side of the sheet in metres is the 4th root of 2&mdash;approximately 1.189 metres. The short side is the [[reciprocal (mathematics)|reciprocal]] of this number, approximately 0.841 metres. A1 is formed by cutting a piece of A0 into two equal area rectangles. Because of the choice of lengths, the aspect ratio is the same for A1 as for A0 (as it is for A2, A3, etc). This particular measurement system was chosen to allow folding of one standard size into another, which cannot be accomplished with traditional paper sizes. Brochures are made by using material at the next size up i.e. material at A3 is folded to make A4 brochures. Similarly, material at A4 is folded to make [[A5 paper size|A5]] brochures. It also allows scaling without loss of image from one size to another. Thus an A4 page can be enlarged to A3 and retain the exact proportions of the original document. Office photocopiers in countries that use ISO 216 paper often have one tray filled with A4 and another filled with A3. A simple method is usually provided (e.g. one button press) to enlarge A4 to A3 or reduce A3 to A4. This also allows two sheets of A4 (or any other size) to be scaled down and fit exactly 1 sheet without any cutoff or margins. [[Image:B size illustration.svg|thumb|right|A size chart illustrating the ISO B series.]] There is also a much less common B series. The area of B series sheets is the [[geometric mean]] of successive A series sheets. So, B1 is between A0 and A1 in size, with an area of 0.71 m² (<math>\sqrt{0.5}</math>). As a result, B0 has one side 1-metre long, and other sizes in the B series have one side that is a half, quarter or eighth of a metre. While less common in office use, it is used for a variety of special situations. Many posters use B-series paper or a close approximation, such as 50 cm×70 cm; B5 is a relatively common choice for books. The B series is also used for [[envelope]]s and [[passport]]s. The C series is used only for envelopes and is defined in [[ISO 269]]. The area of C series sheets is the geometric mean of the areas of the A and B series sheets of the same number; for instance, the area of a C4 sheet is the geometric mean of the areas of an A4 sheet and a B4 sheet. This means that C4 is slightly larger than A4, and B4 slightly larger than C4. The practical usage of this is that a letter written on A4 paper fits inside a C4 envelope, and a C4 envelope fits inside a B4 envelope. The scalability also means that less paper (and hence money) is wasted by printing companies. {|class="wikitable" |+ ISO paper sizes (plus rounded [[inch]] values) ! Format !colspan="2"| A series !colspan="2"| B series !colspan="2"| C series |- ! Size ! mm × mm || in × in ! mm × mm || in × in ! mm × mm || in × in |- ! 0 | 841 × 1189|| 33.1 × 46.8 |1000 × 1414|| 39.4 × 55.7 | 917 × 1297|| 36.1 × 51.1 |- ! 1 | 594 × 841 || 23.4 × 33.1 | 707 × 1000|| 27.8 × 39.4 | 648 × 917 || 25.5 × 36.1 |- ! 2 | 420 × 594 || 16.5 × 23.4 | 500 × 707 || 19.7 × 27.8 | 458 × 648 || 18.0 × 25.5 |- ! 3 | 297 × 420 || 11.7 × 16.5 | 353 × 500 || 13.9 × 19.7 | 324 × 458 || 12.8 × 18.0 |- ! 4 | 210 × 297 || 8.3 × 11.7 | 250 × 353 || 9.8 × 13.9 | 229 × 324 || 9.0 × 12.8 |- ! 5 | 148 × 210 || 5.8 × 8.3 | 176 × 250 || 6.9 × 9.8 | 162 × 229 || 6.4 × 9.0 |- ! 6 | 105 × 148 || 4.1 × 5.8 | 125 × 176 || 4.9 × 6.9 | 114 × 162 || 4.5 × 6.4 |- ! 7 | 74 × 105 || 2.9 × 4.1 | 88 × 125 || 3.5 × 4.9 | 81 × 114 || 3.2 × 4.5 |- ! 8 | 52 × 74 || 2.0 × 2.9 | 62 × 88 || 2.4 × 3.5 | 57 × 81 || 2.2 × 3.2 |- ! 9 | 37 × 52 || 1.5 × 2.0 | 44 × 62 || 1.7 × 2.4 | 40 × 57 || 1.6 × 2.2 |- ! 10 | 26 × 37 || 1.0 × 1.5 | 31 × 44 || 1.2 × 1.7 | 28 × 40 || 1.1 × 1.6 |} The tolerances specified in the standard are * ±1.5 mm (0.06 in) for dimensions up to 150 mm (5.9 in), * ±2 mm (0.08 in) for lengths in the range 150 to 600 mm (5.9 to 23.6 in) and * ±3 mm (0.12 in) for any dimension above 600 mm (23.6 in). ===German extensions=== The [[DIN|German standard]] '''DIN 476''' was published in 1922 and is the original specification of the A and B sizes. It differs in two details from its international successor: DIN 476 provides an extension to formats larger than A0, denoted by a prefix factor. In particular, it lists the two formats 2A0, which is twice the area of A0, and 4A0, which is four times A0: {|class="wikitable" |+ DIN 476 overformats ! Name !! mm × mm !! in × in |- ! 4A0 |1682 × 2378 || 66.2 × 93.6 |- ! 2A0 |1189 × 1682 || 46.8 × 66.2 |} DIN 476 also specifies slightly tighter tolerances: * ±1 mm (0.04 in) for dimensions up to 150 mm (5.9 in), * ±1.5 mm (0.06 in) for lengths in the range 150 mm to 600 mm (5.9 to 23.6 in) and * ±2 mm (0.08 in) for any dimension above 600 mm (23.6 in). ===Swedish extensions=== The Swedish standard SIS 014711 generalized the ISO system of A, B, and C formats by adding D, E, F, and G formats to it. Its D format sits between a B format and the next larger A format (just like C sits between A and the next larger B). The remaining formats fit in between all these formats, such that the sequence of formats A4, E4, C4, G4, B4, F4, D4, ''H4'', A3 is a [[geometric progression]], in which the dimensions grow by a factor 2<sup>1/8</sup> from one size to the next. However, the SIS 014711 standard does not define any size between a D format and the next larger A format (called H in the previous example). Of these additional formats, G5 (169x239 mm) and E5 (155x220 mm) are popular in Sweden for printing dissertations [http://www.google.com/search?q=trycka+format+g5+-mac&lr=lang_sv], but the other formats have not turned out to be particularly useful in practice and they have not caught on internationally. ===Japanese B-series variant=== The [[Japanese Industrial Standard|JIS]] defines two main series of paper sizes. The JIS A-series is identical to the ISO A-series, but with slightly different tolerances. The area of B-series paper is 1.5 times that of the corresponding A-paper, so the length ratio is approximately 1.22 times the length of the corresponding A-series paper. The aspect ratio of the paper is the same as for A-series paper. Both A- and B-series paper is widely available in Japan and most photocopiers are loaded with at least A4 and B4 paper. There are also a number of traditional paper sizes, which are now used mostly only by printers. The most common of these old series are the Shiroku-ban and the Kiku paper sizes. {|class="wikitable" |+ JIS paper sizes (plus rounded [[inch]] values) ! Format !colspan="2"| B series !colspan="2"| Shiroku ban !colspan="2"| Kiku |- ! Size ! mm × mm || in × in ! mm × mm || in × in ! mm × mm || in × in |- ! 0 | 1030 × 1456 || 40.6 × 57.3 !rowspan="4"| !rowspan="4"| !rowspan="4"| !rowspan="4"| |- ! 1 | 728 × 1030 || 28.7 × 40.6 |- ! 2 | 515 × 728 || 20.3 × 28.7 |- ! 3 | 364 × 515 || 14.3 × 20.3 |- ! 4 | 257 × 364 || 10.1 × 14.3 | 264 × 379 || 10.4 × 14.9 | 227 × 306 || 8.9 × 12.0 |- ! 5 | 182 × 257 || 7.2 × 10.1 | 189 × 262 || 7.4 × 10.3 | 151 × 227 || 5.9 × 8.9 |- ! 6 | 128 × 182 || 5.0 × 7.2 | 189 × 262 || 7.4 × 10.3 !rowspan="7"| !rowspan="7"| |- ! 7 | 91 × 128 || 3.6 × 5.0 | 127 × 188 || 5.0 × 7.4 |- ! 8 | 64 × 91 || 2.5 × 3.6 !rowspan="5"| !rowspan="5"| |- ! 9 | 45 × 64 || 1.8 × 2.5 |- ! 10 | 32 × 45 || 1.3 × 1.8 |- ! 11 | 22 × 32 || 0.9 × 1.3 |- ! 12 | 16 × 22 || 0.6 × 0.9 |} ==North American paper sizes== ===Loose sizes=== Current standard sizes of U.S. paper are a [[subset]] of the traditional sizes referred to below. "Letter", "legal", "ledger", and "tabloid" are by far the most commonly used of these for everyday activities. The origin of the exact dimensions of "letter" size paper (8½&nbsp;in&nbsp;×&nbsp;11&nbsp;in, 215.9&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;279.4&nbsp;mm) are lost in tradition and not well documented. The American Forest and Paper Association argues that the dimension originates from the days of manual paper making, and that the 11 inch length of the page is about a quarter of "the average maximum stretch of an experienced vatman's arms."<REF>{{cite web |url= http://www.afandpa.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Pulp_and_Paper/Fun_Facts/The_U_S__Standard_Paper_Size.htm |title= Why is the standard paper size in the U.S. 8 ½" x 11"? |accessdate= 2008-03-06 |author= American Forest and Paper Association }}</REF> However, this does not explain the width or aspect ratio. {|class="wikitable" |+ North American paper sizes ! Size ! in × in || mm × mm |- ! Letter | 8.5 × 11 || 216 × 279 |- ! Legal | 8.5 × 14 || 216 × 356 |- ! Ledger<REF name="PPD">{{Citation | last = Adobe Systems Incorporated | author-link = Adobe Systems | publication-date = 9 February 1996 | title = PostScript Printer Description File Format Specification | edition = 4.3 | publication-place = [[San Jose, California]] | page = 191 | url = http://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/en/ps/5003.PPD_Spec_v4.3.pdf | accessdate = 2008-03-06 }}</REF> | 17 × 11 || 432 × 279 |- ! Tabloid | 11 × 17 || 279 × 432 |} There is an additional paper size, to which the name "government-letter" was given by the [[IEEE]] [[Printer Working Group]]: the 8&nbsp;in&nbsp;×&nbsp;10½&nbsp;in (203.2&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;266.7&nbsp;mm) paper that is used in the United States for children's writing. It was prescribed by [[Herbert Hoover]] when he was [[Secretary of Commerce]] to be used for U.S. government forms, apparently to enable discounts from the purchase of paper for schools. In later years, as photocopy machines proliferated, citizens wanted to make photocopies of the forms, but the machines did not generally have this size paper in their bins. [[Ronald Reagan]] therefore had the U.S. government switch to regular letter size (8½&nbsp;in&nbsp;×&nbsp;11&nbsp;in).{{Fact|date=March 2007}} The 8&nbsp;in&nbsp;×&nbsp;10½&nbsp;in size is still commonly used in spiral-bound [[notebook]]s and the like. An alternative explanation in the past for the difference between "government size" (as government-letter size was referred to at the time) and letter size paper was that the slightly smaller sheet used less paper, and therefore saved the government money in both paper and filing space. However, when Reagan prescribed the change to letter size, it was commonly stated that U.S. paper manufacturers had standardized their production lines for letter size, and were meeting government orders by trimming ½" each from two sides of letter-size stock; thus the government was allegedly paying more for its smaller paper size before Reagan abolished it. The different paper size also reportedly restricted the government's ability to take advantage of modular office furniture designs, common in the 1980s, whose cabinets were designed for letter size paper. U.S. paper sizes are currently standard in the United States and the Philippines. The latter uses U.S. "letter", but the Philippine "legal" size is 8½&nbsp;in&nbsp;×&nbsp;13&nbsp;in (215.9&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;330.2&nbsp;mm).{{Fact|date=March 2007}} ISO sizes are available, but not widely used, in both the U.S. and the Philippines. In [[Canada]], U.S. paper sizes are a de facto standard. The government, however, uses a combination of ISO paper sizes, and CAN 2-9.60M "Paper Sizes for Correspondence" specifies P1 through P6 paper sizes, which are the U.S. paper sizes rounded to the nearest 5&nbsp;mm.<REF>{{cite web |url= http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-paper.html |title= International standard paper sizes |accessdate= 2008-03-06 |last= Kuhn |first= Markus }}</ref> [[Mexico]] has adopted the ISO standard, but U.S. "letter" format is still the system in use throughout the country. It is virtually impossible to encounter ISO standard papers in day-to-day uses, with "Carta 216&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;279&nbsp;mm" (letter), "Oficio 216&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;340&nbsp;mm" (legal) and "Doble carta" (ledger/tabloid) being nearly universal. U.S. sizes are also widespread and in common use in Colombia [http://www.armada.mil.co/index.php?idcategoria=251610&download=Y]. See [[Switching barriers|switching cost]]s, [[network effect]]s and [[standardization]] for possible reasons for differing regional adoption rates of the ISO standard sizes. ====ANSI paper sizes==== [[Image:ANSI size illustration.svg|thumb|right|A size chart illustrating the ANSI sizes.]] In 1995, the [[American National Standards Institute]] adopted [[ANSI/ASME Y14.1]] which defined a regular series of paper sizes based upon the ''de facto'' standard 8½&nbsp;in&nbsp;×&nbsp;11&nbsp;in "letter" size which it assigned "ANSI A". This series also includes "ledger"/"tabloid" as "ANSI B". This series is somewhat similar to the ISO standard in that cutting a sheet in half would produce two sheets of the next smaller size. Unlike the ISO standard, however, the arbitrary aspect ratio forces this series to have two alternating aspect ratios. The ANSI series is shown below. With care, documents can be prepared so that the text and images fit on either ANSI or their equivalent ISO sheets at 1:1 reproduction scale. {|class="wikitable" ! Name ! in × in !! mm × mm !! Ratio !! Alias !! Similar ISO A size |- !ANSI A | 8½ × 11 || 216 × 279 || 1.2941 || Letter || A4 |- !ANSI B | 17 × 11<BR>11 × 17 || 432 × 279<BR>279 × 432 || 1.5455 || Ledger<REF name="PPD"/><BR>Tabloid || A3 |- !ANSI C | 17 × 22 || 432 × 559 || 1.2941 || || A2 |- !ANSI D | 22 × 34 || 559 × 864 || 1.5455 || || A1 |- !ANSI E | 34 × 44 || 864 × 1118|| 1.2941 || || A0 |} Other, larger sizes continuing the alphabetic series illustrated above exist, but it should be noted that they are not part of the series ''per se'', because they do not exhibit the same aspect ratios. For example, Engineering F size (28&nbsp;in&nbsp;×&nbsp;40&nbsp;in, 711.2&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;1016.0&nbsp;mm) also exists, but is rarely encountered, as are G, H, &hellip; N size drawings. G size is 22½&nbsp;in (571.5&nbsp;mm) high, but variable width up to 90&nbsp;in (2286&nbsp;mm) in increments of 8½&nbsp;in, i.e., roll format. H and larger letter sizes are also roll formats. Such sheets were at one time used for full-scale layouts of aircraft parts, wiring harnesses and the like, but today are generally not needed, due to widespread use of [[computer-aided design]] (CAD) and [[computer-aided manufacturing]] (CAM). ====Architectural sizes==== In addition to the ANSI system as listed above, there is a corresponding series of paper sizes used for [[architecture|architectural]] purposes. This series also shares the property that bisecting each size produces two of the size below. It may be preferred by North American architects because the aspect ratios (4:3 and 3:2) are ratios of small integers, unlike their ANSI (or ISO) counterparts. Furthermore, the aspect ratio 4:3 matches the traditional aspect ratio for computer displays. The architectural series, usually abbreviated "Arch", is shown below: {|class="wikitable" ! Name ! in × in !! mm × mm !! Ratio |- ! Arch A | 9 × 12 || 229 × 305 || 4:3 |- ! Arch B | 12 × 18 || 305 × 457 || 3:2 |- ! Arch C | 18 × 24 || 457 × 610 || 4:3 |- ! Arch D | 24 × 36 || 610 × 914 || 3:2 |- ! Arch E | 36 × 48 || 914 × 1219|| 4:3 |- ! Arch E1 | 30 × 42 || 762 × 1067|| 7:5 |} ====Other sizes==== <!-- Should this table be sorted by size? It seems to be in random order now. --> {|class="wikitable" ! Name ! in × in !! mm × mm !! Ratio |- ! Statement, Half Letter | 5.5 × 8.5 || 140 × 216 || 1.{{overline|54}} |- ! Quarto | 9 × 11 || 229 × 279 || 1.11 |- ! Executive, Monarch | 7.25 × 10.5 || 184 × 267 || ~1.4483 |- ! Government-Letter | 8 × 10.5 || 203 × 267 || 1.3125 |- ! Letter | 8.5 × 11 || 216 × 279 || ~1.2941 |- ! Foolscap, Folio<REF name="PPD"/> | 8.27 × 13 || 210 × 330 || 1.625 |- ! Government-Legal | 8.5 × 13 || 216 × 330 || ~1.5294 |- ! Legal | 8.5 × 14 || 216 × 356 || ~1.6067 |- ! Ledger, Tabloid | 11 × 17 || 279 × 432 || 1.{{overline|54}} |- ! Super-B | 13 × 19 || 330 × 483 || ~1.4615 |- ! Post | 15.5 × 19.5 || 394 × 489 || ~1.2581 |- ! Crown | 15 × 20 || 381 × 508 || 1.{{overline|3}} |- ! Large Post | 16.5 × 21 || 419 × 533 || 1.{{overline|27}} |- ! Demy | 17.5 × 22.5 || 445 × 572 || ~1.2857 |- ! Medium | 18 × 23 || 457 × 584 || 1.2{{overline|7}} |- ! Broadsheet | 18 × 24 || 457 × 610 || 1.{{overline|3}} |- ! Royal | 20 × 25 || 508 × 635 || 1.25 |- ! Elephant | 23 × 28 || 584 × 711 || ~1.2174 |- ! Double Demy | 22.5 × 35 || 572 × 889 || 1.{{overline|5}} |- ! Quad Demy | 35 × 45 || 889 × 1143|| ~1.2857 |} {|class="wikitable" |+ [[index card|Index]] and [[business card]]s ! Name ! in × in !! mm × mm !! Ratio |- ! Index card | 3 × 5 || 76 × 127 || 1.{{overline|6}} |- ! Index card | 4 × 6 || 102 × 152 || 1.5 |- ! Index card | 5 × 8 || 127 × 203 || 1.6 |- ! International business card * | 2⅛ × 3.37|| 53.98 × 85.6|| 1.586 <!-- 3.37 in = 85.598 mm; 2.125 in = 53.975 mm. 85.6 mm ~= 3.370 in ~≤ 27/8 in = 3.375 in; 55 mm ~= 2.165 in ≠ 2.125 in; 54 mm ~= 2.126 in ~≥ 17/8 in --> |- ! US business card | 2 × 3.5 || 51 × 89 || 1.75 |- ! Japanese business card | ~2.165 × ~3.583 || 55 × 91 || ~1.65 |} * This is the same size as the smallest rectangle containing a [[credit card]]. However, ''credit card size'', as defined in [[ISO 7810]], also specifies rounded edges and a thickness. {|class="wikitable" |+ [[Photograph]] sizes<!--description, expansion of acronyms?--> ! Name ! in × in !! mm × mm !! Ratio |- ! 2R | 2.5 × 3.5 || 64 × 89 || 1.4 |- ! - | 3 × 5 || 76 × 127 || 1.{{overline|6}} |- ! LD, DSC | 3.5 × 4.67 || 89 × 119 || 1.{{overline|3}} (4:3) |- ! 3R, L | 3.5 × 5 || 89 × 127 || ~1.4286 |- ! LW | 3.5 × 5.25 || 89 × 133 || 1.5 (3:2) |- ! KGD | 4 × 5.33 || 102 × 136 || 1.{{overline|3}} (4:3) |- ! 4R, KG | 4 × 6 || 102 × 152 || 1.5 |- ! 2LD, DSCW | 5 × 6.67 || 127 × 169 || 1.{{overline|3}} (4:3) |- ! 5R, 2L | 5 × 7 || 127 × 178 || 1.4 |- ! 2LW | 5 × 7.5 || 127 × 190 || 1.5 (3:2) |- ! 8R | 8 × 10 || 203 × 254 || 1.25 |- ! 12R | 8 × 12 || 203 × 305 || 1.5 |- ! 14R | 11 × 14 || 279 × 356 || 1.{{overline|27}} |} <!--Japanese: LD or DSC, L, LW, KGD, KG, 2LD or DSCW, 2L, 2LW.--> ===Tablet sizes=== {{See also|Notebook}} The sizes listed above are for paper sold loosely in [[paper ream|ream]]s. There are many sizes of tablets of paper, that is, sheets of paper kept from flying around by being bound at one edge, usually by a strip of plastic or hardened [[polyvinyl acetate|PVA adhesive]]. Often there is a pad of [[paperboard|cardboard]] (also known as [[chipboard]] or [[greyboard]]) at the bottom of the stack. Such a tablet serves as a portable writing surface, and the sheets often have lines printed on them, usually in blue, to make writing in a line easier. An older means of binding is to have the sheets stapled to the cardboard along the top of the tablet; there is a line of perforated holes across every page just below the top edge from which any page may be torn off. Lastly, a pad of sheets each weakly stuck with adhesive to the sheet below, trademarked as "Post-It" or "Stick-Em" and available in various sizes, serve as a sort of tablet. "Letter pads" are of course 8½ by 11 inches, while the term "legal pad" is often used by laymen to refer to pads of various sizes including those of 8½ by 14 inches. There are "steno pads" (used by [[stenography|stenographers]]) of 6 by 9 inches. Of course, in countries where the ISO sizes are standard, most notebooks and tablets are sized to ISO specifications (for example, most newsagents in Australia stock A4 and A3 tablets). ==Traditional inch-based paper sizes== Traditionally, a number of different sizes were defined for large sheets of paper, and paper sizes were defined by the sheet name and the number of times it had been folded. Thus a full sheet of "royal" paper was 25 × 20 [[inch]]es, and "royal octavo" was this size folded three times, so as to make eight sheets, and was thus 10 by 6¼ inches. Imperial sizes were used in the United Kingdom and its territories. Some of the base sizes were as follows: {|class="wikitable" ! Name ! in × in !! mm × mm !! Ratio |- ! Emperor | 48 × 72 ||1219 × 1829|| 1.5 |- ! Antiquarian | 31 × 53 || 787 × 1346|| 1.7097 |- ! Grand eagle | 28.75 × 42 || 730 × 1067|| 1.4609 |- ! Double elephant | 26.75 × 40 || 678 × 1016|| 1.4984 |- ! Atlas* | 26 × 34 || 660 × 864 || 1.3077 |- ! Colombier | 23.5 × 34.5|| 597 × 876 || 1.4681 |- ! Double demy | 22.5 × 35.5|| 572 × 902 || 1.5(7) |- ! Imperial* | 22 × 30 || 559 × 762 || 1.3636 |- ! Double large post | 21 × 33 || 533 × 838 || 1.5713 |- ! Elephant* | 23 × 28 || 584 × 711 || 1.2174 |- ! Princess | 21.5 × 28 || 546 × 711 || 1.3023 |- ! Cartridge | 21 × 26 || 533 × 660 || 1.2381 |- ! Royal* | 20 × 25 || 508 × 635 || 1.25 |- ! Sheet, half post | 19.5 × 23.5|| 495 × 597 || 1.2051 |- ! Double post | 19 × 30.5|| 483 × 762 || 1.6052 |- ! Super royal | 19 × 27 || 483 × 686 || 1.4203 |- ! Medium* | 17.5 × 23 || 470 × 584 || 1.2425 |- ! Demy* | 17.5 × 22.5|| 445 × 572 || 1.2857 |- ! Large post | 16.5 × 21 || 419 × 533 || 1.(27) |- ! Copy draught | 16 × 20 || 406 × 508 || 1.25 |- ! Large post | 15.5 × 20 || 394 × 508 || 1.2903 |- ! Post* | 15.5 × 19.25|| 394 × 489 || 1.2419 |- ! Crown* | 15 × 20 || 381 × 508 || 1.(3) |- ! Pinched post | 14.75 × 18.5|| 375 × 470 || 1.2533 |- ! Foolscap* | 13.5 × 17 || 343 × 432 || 1.2593 |- ! Small foolscap | 13.25 × 16.5|| 337 × 419 || 1.2453 |- ! Brief | 13.5 × 16 || 343 × 406 || 1.1852 |- ! Pott | 12.5 × 15 || 318 × 381 || 1.2 |} <nowiki>*</nowiki> The sizes marked with an asterisk are still [[#Other sizes|in use in the United States]]. Traditional sizes for writing paper in the United Kingdom [http://www.smythson.com/SmythsonSite/pages/cm/cm.asp?sCCPage=Smythson%20Paper], : {|class="wikitable" |- ! Name ! in × in |- | Quarto | 11 × 9 |- | Imperial | 9 × 7 |- | Kings | 8 × 6.5 |- | Dukes | 7 × 5.5 |} The common divisions and their abbreviations include: {|class="wikitable" ! Name ! Abbr. !! Folds !! Leaves !! Pages |- ! Folio<!--, Folacio--> | fo, f || 1 || 2 || 4 |- ! Quarto | 4to || 2 || 4 || 8 |- ! Sexto, sixmo | 6to, 6mo || 3 || 6 || 12 |- ! Octavo<!--, Belagionastic--> | 8vo || 3 || 8 || 16 |- ! Duodecimo, twelvemo | 12mo || 4 || 12 || 24 |- ! Sextodecimo, sixteenmo | 16mo || 4 || 16 ||32 |} [[Foolscap folio]] is often referred to simply as 'folio' or 'foolscap'. Similarly, 'quarto' is more correctly 'copy draught quarto'. Many of these sizes were only used for making [[book]]s (see [[bookbinding]]), and would never have been offered for ordinary stationery purposes. ==Transitional paper sizes== ===PA series=== {| class="wikitable rimage" align="right" |+ PA4-based series ! Name ! mm × mm !! Ratio |- ! PA0 | 840 × 1120|| 3:4 |- ! PA1 | 560 × 840 || 2:3 |- ! PA2 | 420 × 560 || 3:4 |- ! PA3 | 280 × 420 || 2:3 |- ! PA4 | 210 × 280 || 3:4 |- ! PA5 | 140 × 210 || 2:3 |- ! PA6 | 105 × 140 || 3:4 |- ! PA7 | 70 × 105 || 2:3 |- ! PA8 | 52 × 70 ||≈3:4 |- ! PA9 | 35 × 52 ||≈2:3 |- ! PA10 | 26 × 35 ||≈3:4 |} A transitional size called '''PA4''' (210&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;280&nbsp;mm, 8¼&nbsp;in&nbsp;×&nbsp;11&nbsp;in) was proposed for inclusion into the ISO 216 standard in 1975. It has the height of Canadian P4 paper (215&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;280&nbsp;mm, about 8½&nbsp;in&nbsp;×&nbsp;11&nbsp;in) and the width of international A4 paper (210&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;297&nbsp;mm). The table to the right shows how this format can be generalized into an entire format series. The PA formats did not end up in ISO 216, because the committee felt that the set of standardized paper formats should be kept to the minimum necessary. However, PA4 remains of practical use today. In [[landscape]] orientation, it has the same 4:3 aspect ratio as the displays of traditional TV sets, most [[computer displays|computers]] and [[data projector]]s. PA4 is therefore a good choice as the format of computer presentation slides. At the same time, PA4 is the largest format that fits on both A4 and U.S./Canadian "Letter" paper without resizing. PA4 is used today by many international [[magazine]]s, because it can be printed easily on equipment designed for either A4 or U.S. "Letter". ===Antiquarian=== Although the movement is towards the international standard metric paper sizes, on the way there from the traditional ones there has been at least one new size just a little larger than that used internationally. British architects and industrial designers once used a size called "Antiquarian" as listed above, but given in the ''New Metric Handbook'' (Tutt & Adler 1981) as 813&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;1372&nbsp;mm. This is a little larger than the A0 size. So for a short time, a size called A0a (1000&nbsp;mm&nbsp;×&nbsp;1370&nbsp;mm) was used in Britain. ===F4=== [[F4 (paper)|F4]] (210 mm × 330 mm) is common in Southeast Asia and Australia, and is sometimes called "foolscap". It has the same width as A4, but is longer. ==Other metric sizes== {|class="wikitable" ! Name ! mm × mm !! in × in |- ! DL | 110 × 220 || 4.3 × 8.7 |- ! F4 | 210 × 330 || 8.3 × 13.0 |- ! RA0 | 860 × 1220 || 33.9 × 48.0 |- ! RA1 | 610 × 860 || 24.0 × 33.9 |- ! RA2 | 430 × 610 || 16.9 × 24.0 |- ! RA3 | 305 × 430 || 12.0 × 16.9 |- ! RA4 | 215 × 305 || 8.5 × 12.0 |- ! SRA0 | 900 × 1280 || 35.4 × 50.4 |- ! SRA1 | 640 × 900 || 25.2 × 35.4 |- ! SRA2 | 450 × 640 || 17.7 × 25.2 |- ! SRA3 | 320 × 450 || 12.6 × 17.7 |- ! SRA4 | 225 × 320 || 8.9 × 12.6 |- ! A3+ | 329 × 483 || 12.9 × 19.0 |} ==See also== * [[Paper density]] ** [[Paper density#Grammage|Grammage]] ** [[Paper density#Basis weight|Basis weight]] * [[Photographic printing]] &mdash; standard photographic print sizes * [[Punchhole]] &mdash; filing holes * [[Envelope size]] * [[Index card]] * [[Book size]] * [[Bookbinding]] * [[PC LOAD LETTER]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==Further reading== # [[International standard]] [[ISO 216]], Writing paper and certain classes of printed matter — Trimmed sizes — A and B series. [[International Organization for Standardization]], Geneva, 1975. # [[International standard]] ISO 217: Paper — Untrimmed sizes — Designation and tolerances for primary and supplementary ranges, and indication of machine direction. [[International Organization for Standardization]], Geneva, 1995. # Max Helbig, Winfried Hennig: DIN-Format A4 – Ein Erfolgssystem in Gefahr. Beuth-Kommentare, Beuth Verlag, Berlin, 1998. ISBN 3-410-11878-0 # Arthur D. Dunn: [http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/volatile/dunn-papersizes.pdf Notes on the standardization of paper sizes]. Ottawa, Canada, 54 pages, 1972. == External links == * [http://log.mroumen.com/?p=73 Papersize Cheatsheet] * [http://www.inkjetart.com/weight.html Page listing conversion tables for paper weights] * [http://www.trussel.com/books/booksize.htm Web page on traditional paper sizes used in books, with reference tables] * [ftp://ftp.pwg.org/pub/pwg/standards/pwg5101.1.pdf IEEE-ISTO 5101.1-2002 "The Printer Working Group Standard for Media Standardized Names" (PDF)] * [http://www.printernational.org/american-paper-sizes.php American paper sizes] * [http://home.inter.net/eds/paper/papersize.html Japanese and international paper size] * Georg C. Lichtenberg (25 Oct. 1786) [http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/lichtenberg-letter.html Letter to Johann Bergmann]. * [http://www.printindustry.com/newsletter_40.htm Paper Weight & Size -- When is 80# NOT 80#?] * [http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-paper.html Markus Kuhn's excellent discussion, which may be freely reprinted.] [[Category:Standards]] [[Category:Paper]] [[Category:Stationery]] [[Category:Printing]] [[ca:Mida de paper]] [[cs:Formát papíru]] [[da:Størrelser (papir)]] [[de:Papierformat]] [[es:Formato de papel]] [[eo:Normaj dimensioj de folioj]] [[fr:Format de papier]] [[id:Ukuran kertas]] [[hu:Papírméret]] [[ml:കടലാസ് വലിപ്പം]] [[ms:Ukuran kertas]] [[nl:Papierformaat]] [[ja:紙の寸法]] [[pl:Format arkusza]] [[pt:Tamanho de papel]] [[ru:Формат бумаги]] [[simple:Paper size]] [[sk:Formát papiera]] [[sr:Формати папира]] [[sv:Pappersformat]] [[ta:தாள் அளவு]] [[vi:Khổ giấy]]