Paper sizes: Letter, A4 and every standard dimension

Every paper size in one chart

This tool lists the dimensions of nearly fifty paper sizes: North American sizes (Letter, Legal, Tabloid, Executive, Half Letter), the ISO 216 A and B series, C and DL envelopes, photo prints, business cards and common book sizes. Each one is shown in inches, millimeters, centimeters, PostScript points and pixels, in portrait or landscape. Use it to prepare a file for printing or check whether an A4 file will fit your printer.

How to use it

1. Type in "Search a size" (A5, envelope, photo…) and click a row in the chart. The page opens on US Letter.
2. Pick the "Orientation", the "Resolution (dpi)" and the "Table unit". The detail box shows every unit at once.
3. Under "Compare sizes to scale", choose two or three sizes: they are drawn on top of each other.
4. To see a sheet at actual size, use "Calibrate your screen": hold a payment card against the screen and adjust the rectangle, then click "Show the chosen size at actual size".
5. "How many fit on a sheet?" counts how many pieces fit, with a margin and a gap. "Convert mm, inches and pixels" converts any length.

Your settings and calibration stay on your device. "Copy a link to this setting" gives an address that reopens the same size.

North American sizes

US Letter is 8.5 × 11 inches, or 215.9 × 279.4 mm, and 612 × 792 points in a PDF. Legal is 8.5 × 14 in (215.9 × 355.6 mm), used for contracts. Tabloid is 11 × 17 in; turned sideways, the same sheet is called Ledger. Executive is 7.25 × 10.5 in and Half Letter is 5.5 × 8.5 in, exactly a Letter sheet folded in half.

ISO 216 in plain words

Most of the world uses A sizes. A0 measures 841 × 1189 mm, which is 999,949 mm², almost exactly one square meter. Its sides follow the ratio √2 (about 1.414), so cutting a sheet in half across its long side gives two sheets with the same shape: one A0 makes two A1, one A1 two A2, and so on. An A4 is therefore 1/16 of a square meter, 62,500 mm² in theory; with sides rounded to the millimeter, 210 × 297 mm, it comes to 62,370 mm². The "How ISO 216 works, with the math" box repeats the calculation from A0 to A10.

B and C sizes: which envelope for which sheet?

The B series sits between two A sizes: B5 (176 × 250 mm) is a little larger than A5. The C series is for envelopes: a C4 (229 × 324 mm) takes an unfolded A4, a C5 (162 × 229 mm) an A4 folded in half, a C6 (114 × 162 mm) an A4 folded in four. The DL envelope (110 × 220 mm) takes an A4 folded in three.

Pixels and print resolution

Pixels = inches × dpi. A Letter page is 2550 × 3300 pixels at 300 dpi; an A4 page is 2480 × 3508 pixels at 300 dpi and 794 × 1123 at 96 dpi. Print shops usually ask for about 300 dpi for sharp results seen up close, while a poster viewed from across a room can often do with less. Points are 1/72 of an inch, the unit used inside PDF files: an A4 page is 595.28 × 841.89 points, usually rounded to 595 × 842.

How many business cards fit on a sheet?

Click "Business cards on Letter, 0.5 in margins": 3.5 × 2 in cards in a 7.5 × 10 in area give 2 columns and 5 rows, so 10 cards. On A4 with 10 mm margins, 85 × 55 mm cards also come to 10. Without margins, an A4 holds exactly four A6.

Frequently asked questions

What is A4 size in inches?

8.27 × 11.69 inches (210 × 297 mm), slightly narrower and taller than Letter.

What is the difference between A4 and Letter?

Letter is 5.9 mm wider and 17.6 mm shorter. A file set up for one and printed on the other may lose a few millimeters at the edges, so check the paper setting in the print dialog.

How many pixels is A4 at 300 dpi?

2480 × 3508 pixels in portrait, 3508 × 2480 in landscape.

Is the actual size view exact?

It is approximate: it depends on your calibration, the browser zoom and the screen. For a precise check, print the page and measure it with a ruler.