There are many, many different sizes of paper—and a corresponding name for each one. The most common confusion between US paper sizing is legal vs. letter. Do you know what the difference is, or which one you use in your office? Choosing the right type of paper can be a confusing process, especially since North America uses a different system than most of the world.
Continue reading to learn all about US and international paper sizes. We’ll mostly focus on legal vs. letter size, but you’ll also find A Series paper dimensions, as well as a dimensions chart that breaks down the inches, millimeters, and proper use for each size.
US vs. International Paper Sizes
This should come as no surprise, but the US does things a little bit differently than the rest of the world—and the same is certainly true of paper. The US, as well as Canada and parts of Mexico, uses Legal, Letter, and Ledger/Tabloid, which you’ll find in our chart below.
Internationally, paper dimensions are defined by the ISO 216 standard, which specifies the trimmed sizes of writing paper. North America, as well as some parts of Latin America, is the only part of the world not to use ISO 216. The standard defines the A, B, and C series of paper sizes.
The most common is the A series. Each A series paper folded in half becomes the next in the A series. For example, A2 is half of A1, A3 is half of A2, A5 is half of A4, and so on.
Legal Size vs. Letter Size
Letter and legal size are two of the most popular paper types around offices, especially in the US. You are likely familiar with both sizes, though they serve different purposes.
Letter is the most common paper in the US. If you’ve ever used a printer in your life, you’ve used letter size paper.
And now you may be wondering, just how large is legal size paper and will it fit in my printer? Legal size paper is longer than letter size paper, as the extra length lends itself better to the writing of contracts, such as those written for real estate deals, accounting, and in the legal profession.
Most printers should be able to accommodate legal size paper, so long as you make the proper adjustments to the printer and choose the right settings before printing. Legal paper is the same width as regular printer paper, so you only need to adjust for the increased length. The same goes for photocopying legal size paper. You’ll need to adjust the settings and ensure you have legal paper to print on if you want to photocopy these longer documents.
Unless you’re looking to make enemies around the office, don’t forget to return the printer back to its original settings once you’ve finished.
Now, if you’ve ever used legal size paper before, you know that it comes with its fair share of negatives. Legal paper won’t fit in a regular file folder, and sometimes not even a regular-sized filing cabinet drawer can accommodate their inflated size. Therefore, if you’re shopping for hanging file folders, keep an eye out for legal vs. letter size hanging folders. Legal size paper won’t fit in a letter hanging folder, and letter size paper will slip and slide in a legal hanging folder.
Letter Page Size
Letter size paper dimensions are 8.5 x 11 inches (215.9 x 279.4 mm).
Legal Page Size
The page dimensions of legal paper are 8.5 x 14.0 inches (216 x 356 mm).
Letter Size Legal Size Comparison
Legal vs. Letter Uses
Letter is used more commonly than legal. It’s your standard printer paper you’ll find in most schools and office buildings. More than likely, if you’ve ever written an essay or a report of any kind, you’ve printed it out on letter paper.
In the past, legal paper was often used for writing contracts, though it’s common to find letter page dimensions in regular use today.
Legal Size vs. A4 Size
Legal size paper is 8.5 x 14.0 inches (216 x 356 mm), whereas A4 size paper is 8.3 x 11.7 inches (210 x 297 mm). Legal and A4 size paper have little in common with each other, as legal paper is still taller than A4, which is much more closely related to letter size paper.
Letter Size vs. A4 Size
Letter size paper is 8.5 x 11 inches (215.9 x 279.4 mm), whereas A4 size paper is 8.3 x 11.7 inches (210 x 297 mm).
A4 is the most recognizable A paper size. It’s the international equivalent of the US letter size paper, though it’s taller and more narrow. It’s used for your average, everyday printing around the world. A4 is commonly used for business stationery letterheads, textbooks, essays, and reports.
Letter Size vs. A3 Size
Letter size paper is 8.5 x 11 inches (215.9 x 279.4 mm), whereas A3 size paper is 11.7 x 16.5 inches (297 x 420 mm).
A3 is a large paper size commonly used as a chart for presentations, as well as movie posters, wall notices, and architectural plans.
Letter Size vs. A5 Size
Letter size paper is 8.5 x 11 inches (215.9 x 279.4 mm), whereas A5 size paper is 5.8 x 8.3 inches (148 x 210 mm).
A5 has a wide variety of uses. It’s commonly used for booklets, pamphlets, diaries, journals and planners, flyers, and it’s a popular choice for paperback novels.
Letter Size vs. A6 Size
Letter size paper is 8.5 x 11 inches (215.9 x 279.4 mm), whereas A6 size paper is 4.1 x 5.8 inches (105 x 148mm).
A6 is a compact paper size that’s regularly used for postcards, flyers, and save the dates.
A Series and Letter Size Dimensions Chart
|
Letter Type |
Letter Size in Inches |
Letter Size in MM |
Paper Uses |
|
Letter |
8.5 x 11 inches |
215.9 x 279.4 mm |
● Printer paper ● School work ● Office documents ● Meeting notes ● Resumes |
|
Legal |
8.5 x 14.0 inches |
216 x 356 mm |
● Legal contracts ● Excel spreadsheets ● Real estate deals |
|
Ledger |
11.0 x 17.0 inches |
279 x 432 mm |
● Drawings ● Diagrams ● Posters |
|
A0 |
33.1 x 46.8 inches |
841 x 1189 mm |
● Window displays ● Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings ● Posters ● Architectural plans ● Exhibition graphics |
|
A1 |
23.4 x 33.1 inches |
594 x 841 mm |
● Window displays ● Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings ● Posters ● Architectural plans ● Exhibition graphics |
|
A2 |
16.5 x 23.4 inches |
420 x 594 mm |
● Window displays ● Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings ● Posters ● Architectural plans ● Exhibition graphics |
|
A3 |
11.7 x 16.5 inches |
297 x 420 mm |
● Posters ● Wall notices ● Architectural plans ● Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings |
|
A4 |
8.3 x 11.7 inches |
210 x 297 mm |
● Reports ● Essays ● Textbooks ● Letterheads ● Training manuals ● Standard international printer paper |
|
A5 |
5.8 x 8.3 inches |
138 x 210 mm |
● Booklets ● Pamphlets ● Diaries + Journals ● Planners ● Invitations ● Paperback novels |
|
A6 |
4.1 x 5.8 inches |
105 x 148 mm |
● Save the dates ● Invitations ● Postcards ● Cue cards ● Flashcards |
|
A7 |
2.9 x 4.1 inches |
74 x 105 mm |
● Large Post-it notes ● Tickets |
|
A8 |
2.0 x 2.9 inches |
52 x 74 mm |
● Business cards ● Driver’s licenses ● Bank cards |
|
A9 |
1.5 x 2.0 inches |
37 x 52 mm |
● Vouchers ● Tickets |
|
A10 |
1.0 x 1.5 inches |
26 x 37 mm |
● Stamps |
A Series Comparison
A series paper dimensions work mathematically. Each size jump is the previous side in half. A0 in half is A1, A1 in half is A2, A2 in half is A3, all the way to A10.
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