Paper Sizes 10 Comments12 January 2016  |  Victoria

Paper Sizes

Why are they important?

In an ever growing technology run world, you would think that paper usage would be decreasing as many people are turning to computing devices to organise their lives. There was a day where our shopping lists would be written out on a notepad and even our homes were designed with a ruler and pencil but those days are a long time over. Now that paper has taken a back seat and even schools are using handheld devices to teach our children, it would be logical to believe that the the old school paper ways are slowly being pushed out and replaced by technology, however statistics say this is not the case. Over the past few years paper production has been on the rise and when we take a good look around it is easy to understand why. Advertising materials in paper form i.e. leaflets, booklets, posters have become ever more popular as the cost to print such publications decreases. and not to mention that many businesses mostly still supply paper invoices, delivery notes and receipts. Even products such as Christmas cards and party Invitations are as popular as they have ever been. Let’s face it, an E-card doesn’t have the same magic about it as opening an envelope and reading a personalised message specifically for you. So with paper sales on the rise the importance of paper sizes is particularly relevant and throughout this blog we will look at what the different paper sizes are, how they relate to each other and their uses in the world of printing and publication.

What do they mean?

We have all heard of the popular A3, A4, A5 sizes but in the paper world these are just the tip of the iceberg. There are a variety of sizes split over a selection of series all identified by a letter or combination of letters and all these sizes are structured by the ISO (International Standards Organisation) to ensure we are all singing from the same hymn sheet.

A Series

The A series paper sizes are the most commonly used and most easily identified sizes. These are A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, etc. and work on a basis that starting with the biggest size the following sizes are exactly half the previous size when folded symetrically from one short edge to the other.

A Series Paper Measurements                  

B Series

The B series sizes work in a similar way to the A series and measure slightly bigger than the equivelant A series size. B0 measures 1m wide with B1 being in between A0 and A1. The B series are signifantly less popular paper sizes with their most common uses being for posters, books and passports.

B Series Paper Measurements

C Series - Envelope Sizes

The C series measurements relate specifically to envelope sizes and they corrolate with the A series paper sizes ensuring that they fit perfectly inside. They work on the basis that an A5 Sheet will fit inside a C5 envelope and the trend continues throughout the range of sizes. The C size envelopes fit A size paper leaving just enough space to accomodate for reasonable thickness of paper i.e. Folded cards.

C Series Envelope Measurements

DL is a popular envelope size that is common for business use. This size envelope does not fall under the C series as it works slightly differently. Instead of corrolating with the A series paper sizes, DL envelopes are specifically designed and suitable to fit 1/3 of an A4 sheet or more commonly A4 sheets folded equally into 3 sections parallel to the shorter sides.

DL Envelope Measurement

RA and SRA Paper Sizes

These paper sizes are known as the untrimmed paper sizes and are most commonly used for commercial printing to allow for bleed on printed products that would then be trimmed to an A series size later in production. RA sizes are known to be 105% of the equivalent A series size and similarly the SRA is 115% of the A series size With anything over A2 being rounded up to the nearest full centimetre and anything under being rounded up to the nearest half centimetre.

RA Paper Measurements                                                                SRA Paper Measurements

Here at First for Paper we supply a variety of paper sizes with A series and SRA sizes being available in just a few clicks. Many sizes that we dont advertise on our website can also be ordered simply by contacting us via Email. This includes B series paper sizes and bespoke sizes such as 12 x 12 inch and other sizes subject to minimum and maximum dimentions. Envelopes are also available in C series sizes and DL as well as a selection of square envelopes suitable for products from our paper and card and our pre-creased card ranges. Hopefully this blog has shed a bit of light on the diffent paper sizes that are available and how they correspond with other paper and envelope sizes to make choosing your products much more understandable.