Popular U.S. and International Paper Sizes Explained

There are a lot of paper sizes out there and an equal amount of confusion around them. Review our guide below (and paper size chart) to learn more about the most common sizes and find which size best suits your needs.

Standard U.S. Paper Sizes:

Ledger/Tabloid (11" x 17")(279 x 432 mm)

• This size works well when you would like to print two Letter-sized documents side by side as a spread
• Used for large-scale documents or drawings. Especially scaled-down technical drawings

Legal (8.5" x 14")(216 x 356 mm)

• Same width as Letter-sized paper, only 3" longer
• Historically used for legal documents because of the longer length, which provided more space for information and notes

Letter (8.5" x 11")(216 x 279 mm)

• The closest equivalent to A4-sized paper
• Most commonly used in North America, and prints easily from most at-home printers

Standard International A-Series Paper Sizes:

A3 (297 x 420 mm)(11.7" x 16.5")

• Most comparable to Ledger/Tabloid-sized paper
• This size works well when you would like to print two A4-sized documents side by side as a spread
• Commonly used for foldable brochures, large-scale documents, or drawings

A4 (210 x 297 mm)(8.3" x 11.7")

• Half the size of A3 paper
• Slightly narrower and taller than U.S. Letter-sized paper
• Used worldwide (except for North America) as the standard paper size in most offices and homes

A5 (148 x 210 mm)(5.8" x 8.3")

• Half the size of A4 paper
• Used for handouts, leaflets, stationery, and other small format documents

Whatever your project may be, selecting the right paper size ultimately comes down to need, preference, and your printer's capabilities. We hope this article helps and sends you on your merry paper way!