Paper Sizes

Several sizes of handmade paper can be made using the mould and the deckle. In the ISO paper size system, the height to width ratio of all pages is the square root of two. The ISO paper sizes are based on the metric system.

ISO 'A' Paper Sizes
ISO ( International Standard Organization) 216 defines the 'A' series of paper sizes as the logical paper size. It ranges from 2A0, the largest to A7, the smallest. The size of the paper goes down as the number goes up, and each is half the size of the previous.

	Millimetres		Inches		Points
	Height	Width	Height	Width	Height	Width
A0	1189	841	46.81	33.11	3370	2384
A1	841	594	33.11	23.39	2384	1684
A2	594	420	23.39	16.54	1684	1190
A3	420	297	16.54	11.69	1190	842
A4	297	210	11.69	8.27	842	595
A5	210	148	8.27	5.83	595	420
A6	148	105	5.83	4.13	420	298
A7	105	74	4.13	2.91	298	209

ISO 'B' Paper Sizes
The ISO B series is a scaling of the A series; B1 is half way between A0 and A1 in area.

	Millimetres		Inches		Points
	Height	Width	Height	Width	Height	Width
B0	1414	1000	55.67	39.37	4008	2835
B1	1000	707	39.37	27.83	2835	2004
B2	707	500	27.83	19.69.	2004	1417
B3	500	353	19.69	13.90	1417	1001
B4	353	250	13.90	9.84	1001	709
B5	250	176	9.84	6.93	709	499
B6	176	125	6.93	4.92	499	354
B7	125	88	4.92	3.46	354	249
B8	88	62	3.46	2.44	249	176
B9	62	44	2.44	1.73	176	125
B10	44	31	1.73	1.22	125	88

ISO 'C' Paper Sizes
The C series is half way between the A and B series of the same number; for instance, C0 is half way between A0 and B0. This way, C0 is slightly larger than A0, and B0 slightly larger than C0. This was intended to allow one to fit inside an envelope of the other.

Millimetres		Inches		Points
	Height	Width	Height	Width	Height	Width
C2	458	648	18.03	25.51	578	1837
C3	324	458	12.76	18.03	919	578
C4	229	324	9.02	12.76	649	919
C5	162	229	6.38	9.02	459	649
C6	114	162	4.49	6.38	323	459

ISO 'D' Paper Sizes
ISO D sizes are also considered to be a standard paper size, though they are not commonly used these days.

Millimetres		Inches		Points
	Height	Width	Height	Width	Height	Width
D0	771	1090	30.35	42.91	2186	3090

ISO 'RA' and 'SRA' Paper Sizes
These oversized papersizes are used by printers. The dimensions in millimetres are rounded to the nearest value.

	Millimetres		Inches		Points
	Height	Width	Height	Width	Height	Width
SRA0	900	1280	35.43	50.39	2551	3628
SRA1	640	900	25.20	35.43	1814	2551
SRA2	450	640	17.72	25.20	1276	1814
SRA3	320	450	12.59?	17.72	907?	1276
SRA4	225	320	8.86?	12.59?	638?	907?
RA0	860	1220	33.86	48.03	2438	3458
RA1	610	860	24.02	33.86	1729	2438
RA2	430	610	16.93	24.02	1219	1729

American Paper Sizes
For a given sheet size, United States paper is a little wider than metric paper in the short dimension, and a little shorter than metric paper in the long dimension. US still rely on the paper sizes below that come with nice names but no apparent logic behind them.

	Millimetres		Inches		Points
	Height	Width	Height	Width	Height	Width
Letter	279.4	215.9	11.00	8.50	792	612
Legal	355.6	215.9	14.00	8.50	1008	612
Ledger	431.8	279.4	17.00	11.00	1224	792
Tabloid	279.4	431.8	11.00	17.00	792	1224
Executive	266.7	184.1	10.55	7.25	756	522

English Paper Sizes
English paper sizes are also a standard paper size not commonly used today.

	Millimetres		Inches		Points
	Height	Width	Height	Width	Height	Width
Foolscap	419	336	16.50	13.25	1188	954
Small Post	469	368	18.50	14.50	1332	1044
Sheet and 1/3 cap	588	336	22.00	13.25	1584	954
Sheet and 1/2 cap	628	336	24.75	13.25	1782	954
Demy	507	394	20.00	15.50	1440	1116
Large Post	533	419	21.00	16.50	1512	1188
Small medium	558	444	22.00	17.50	1584	1260
Medium	584	457	23.00	18.00	1656	1296
Small Royal	609	482	24.00	19.00	1728	1368
Royal	634	507	25.00	20.00	1800	1440
Imperial	761	559	30.00	22.00	2160	1584

Application of Different Paper Formats
Among all formats, the most commonly used paper size is A4. A4 is commonly used for letters, magazines, forms, catalogs, laser printer and copying machine output. A0 IS used for technical drawings and posters, A2 and A3 for drawings, diagrams and large tables. A5 and A6 are used for note pads and postcards respectrively. C sizes are used for envelopes and B sizes are often used for posters. RA and SRA are used for printers and American paper sizes are used by many bussiness associates in US.