Paper Formats;Complete Paper Size Guide.

Paper formats.The ISO paper size series are a set of formats established by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) in its standard 216 (of 1975), where three series were set: A, B and C. In the Anglo-Saxon world, the ISO or DIN series are also called “metric” sizes.

Paper Formats;Complete Paper Size Guide.

• 1 Formats
  • 1 Series A
  • 2 Series B
  • 3 Series C
• 2 Other formats
• 3 Anglo-Saxon system of measurements
• 4 External links
• 5 Sources

The paper sizes known as “DIN” or “ISO” (DIN A4, ISO A4, etc …) were born in Germany in 1922. Its first name “DIN” responds to the acronym of the German Institute for Standardization (Deutsches Institut für Normung) . Subsequently, this standardization came under the supervision of the ISO, which is why its prefix changed to “ISO”. Nowadays it is more usual to call them without any prefix: “A4”, “A3”, etc …

These standardized sizes are divided into “series”, each of which is intended for a specific use that determines its proportions.

Currently there are several ISO series:

• Series A and B

They are the core of the ISO system and of them, the A series is the main one. Its use is as generic stationery (photocopies, writing, drawing, etc …).

• RA and SRA series

They are sheet papers slightly larger than the most common series (A). Its primary use is as press paper (oversize provides a slight margin for bleeds and tweezers).

• Various formats for ISO envelopes (C series and others)

They are envelope formats designed to be used with series A and B, and with other envelopes. In most of the world they are based on the formats defined in the ISO 216 standard, which in turn is based on the DIN 476 standard of 1922. At the same time, other traditional systems continue to exist, such as those used in the US , Canada and Mexico. , or others that are falling into disuse such as the folio size previously used in Europe. There are also standard paper formats for different uses, such as those used in newspapers.

A series Paper Formats

The idea behind the format is to try to make the most of the paper so that it is wasted as little as possible.

The manufactured sheet of paper measures 1 square meter and the measurement of its sides is in such a proportion that, dividing it in the middle in its length, each of the halves continue to keep the same relationship between their sides as the original sheet. For the measure of the sides to fulfill this property, they must have a particular relationship. If we call x to one side and y to the other:

In this way, when a paper size is required, the manufacturer can cut and send the material without fear that the rest will be useless or, failing that, wanting to take advantage of it, it has to be kept indefinitely in its warehouses until chance allows the surplus to be dispatched. This method also for this reason supposes a reduction in the cost of sale, since it does not require overcharging in the price all the discarded material. If a buyer requires a specific size, it is still possible to serve it, they work from the size Ax in which the order fits and they are charged that size plus the cuts. But now the buyer may want to readjust the size of his order to avoid extra costs by sticking to the proposed measures.

Therefore, in ISO / DIN formats, in general:

• The relationship between its sides is: √2
• Sides are in mm (rounded to the lower integer)
• Each format has (approximately) half the area of ​​the immediate superior, with the following criteria: its longest side is equal to the minor side of the superior format, and its minor side is equal to half of the major side of the superior format. But, in all cases, the sides in mm are rounded to the lower integer. Therefore, in cases where they are decimals (halves of odd numbers), they are not exactly half the length, nor half the surface (but a little less).

In series A, its base (format A0):

• It has 1 m² of surface
• Its shorter side is: 1 / (√√2) = 1 / (20.25) = 0.841 m = 841 mm
• Its longest side is: (√√2) = 20.25 = 1.189 m = 1189 mm

In series A, the 1 m² size sheet is called A0, and the following divisions, which reduce its surface (approximately) to half the previous one, are successively called A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, … etc., indicating with them the number of cuts in half from the original sheet, thus helping your name to get an idea of ​​its surface (1m² divided by 2 raised to the order number of the format).

Due to the roundings applied (adjust the measurements of the sides, expressed in mm, to the lower integer), there are small differences, with respect to the measurements that would result without said roundings. As examples: The size of the original sheet (A0) does not have exactly 1 m² = 1 000 000 mm², but (1189 x 841) = 999 949 mm²

In the A4, being the 4th cut, it should have an area of: 1 000 000/24 ​​= 62 500 mm², however it has: 62 370 mm² (210mm x 297mm).

ISO 216 / DIN series A standard

• The table with the measurements of the formats, results:

B series Paper Formats

In addition to the A series, there is a less common B series. The area of ​​series B sheets is the geometric mean of successive series A sheets. Thus, B1 is the size between A0 and A1, with a surface area of ​​0.707 m². As a result, B0 is 1 meter wide, and other B series sizes are one half, one quarter, or more fractions of a meter wide. Many posters use Series B paper or a close approximation; for example 50 cm × 70 cm (B2) is a relatively common choice for books. Series B is also used for envelopes and passports. The B series is widely used in industry printing to describe both paper sizes and printing press sizes, including digital presses. In series B, its base (format B0): Has √2 m² of surface Its smaller side is:

ISO Paper Sizes – DIN Series B

• The table with the measurements of the formats, results:

C series Paper Formats

The C series is used for envelopes only and is defined in ISO 269 . The area of ​​series C sheets is the geometric mean of the series A and series B areas of the same number; For example, 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 use for this is that a letter written on A4 paper fits inside a C4 envelope, and a C4 paper fits inside a B4 envelope. In series C, in all its formats: Its sides are the geometric mean (square root of the product) of the sides of series A and B

ISO Paper Sizes – DIN C Series

• The table with the measurements of the formats, results:

Other Paper Formats

Although some are deprecated, there are other standard paper formats. The folio , a word that has been associated with a sheet of paper in some countries such as Spain, measures 215 × 315 mm; half a page is a pageor “quarter” and half a page, a leaflet or eighth. The 8.5-inch by 13-inch format is also known as folio (or “legal”). There was also the “Dutch”, wider than the folio (220 mm) and shorter (about 280 mm), known in Argentina (where it is still used) as “letter” to differentiate it from A4, known as “American letter” . The same happens with the “English office”, 220 x 340 mm to differentiate it from the “American office” or “legal”.

This is also related to the size of the envelopes where the correspondence written on these sheets would be placed: Envelope «common commercial», which houses a sheet of English Letter folded in a cross into 4 parts. On «English office», which contains a homonymous sheet folded in 3 parts. On «American office», less high than the previous one, that houses a homonymous sheet (legal) folded in 4 parts. Half of an “English letter” is known as an “obituary”, that is, 140 x 220 mm. And the “double letter” measures 220 x 560 mm. Although the size of the paper is usually determined by the size of the final product to be obtained and the size of the printing machines, paper manufacturers create other standards. The most common sizes for Europe are (expressed in centimeters):

• 72×102
• 70 × 100
• 65 × 90
• 63×88
• 52×70
• 45 × 64
• 43 × 61
• 32 × 45

In some American countries such as Canada , Chile , the United States , Mexico , Colombia , Venezuela , etc., international standards on paper measurements have not been adopted, maintaining the formats based on the Anglo-Saxon measurement system. In Peru both formats are used simultaneously.

Anglo-Saxon system of measurements/Paper Formats

Anglo-Saxon system of measures Anglo-Saxon system of measures