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Help with Paper Sizes

All poster frame size are defined by the paper insert size. The external frame size is always slightly larger.

Many frames overlap the print slightly, covering a narrow border around the perimeter. Do not print critical content too near the edge of the page Read more...

I’m 5ft 3in (160cm) tall. This image will help you understand the comparative size of different prints relative to me.

Paper SizeApproxExact
NameNotescminchmminch (fraction)
A8 5 x 7 cm 2 x 3 inch 52 x 74 mm 2" x 2-7/8"
A7 7 x 10 cm 3 x 4 inch 74 x 105 mm 2-7/8" x 4-1/8"
A6 10 x 15 cm 4 x 6 inch 105 x 148 mm 4-1/8" x 5-7/8"
1/4 A4 7 x 21 cm 3 x 8 inch 74 x 210 mm 2-7/8" x 8-1/4"
DL 1/3 A4 10 x 21 cm 4 x 8 inch 99 x 210 mm 3-7/8" x 8-1/4"
1/2 A4 10 x 30 cm 4 x 12 inch 105 x 297 mm 4-1/8" x 11-3/4"
A5 15 x 21 cm 6 x 8 inch 148 x 210 mm 5-7/8" x 8-1/4"
Letter US only 22 x 28 cm 8.5 x 11 inch 216 x 279 mm 8-1/2" x 11"
A4 21 x 30 cm 8 x 12 inch 210 x 297 mm 8-1/4" x 11-3/4"
A3 30 x 42 cm 12 x 16.5 inch 297 x 420 mm 11-3/4" x 16-1/2"
12.5x20 Folio 32 x 50 cm 12.5 x 20 inch 318 x 508 mm 12-1/2" x 20"
A2 42 x 59 cm 16.5 x 23 inch 420 x 594 mm 16-1/2" x 23-3/8"
4xA4 Noticeboard 48 x 65 cm 19 x 26 inch 483 x 653 mm 19" x 25-3/4
B2 50x70 50 x 70 cm 20 x 27.5 inch 500 x 700 mm 19-3/4" x 27-1/2"
20x30 Double Crown 51 x 76 cm 20 x 30 inch 508 x 762 mm 20" x 30"
6xA4 Noticeboard 48 x 97 cm 19 x 38 inch 483 x 973 mm 19" x 38-1/4"
A1 59 x 84 cm 23 x 33 inch 594 x 841 mm 23-3/8" x 33-1/8"
24x36 Maxi 61 x 91 cm 24 x 36 inch 610 x 914 mm 24" X 36"
27x40 Movie 1 Sheet 69 x 102 cm 27 x 40 inch 686 x 1016 mm 27" x 40"
9xA4 Noticeboard 71 x 97 cm 28 x 38 inch 713 x 973 mm 28-1/8" x 38-1/4"
B1 70x100 70 x 100 cm 28 x 39 inch 707 x 1000 mm 27-3/4" x 39-1/4"
30x40 Quad 76 x 102 cm 30 x 40 inch 762 x 1016 mm 30" x 40"
A0 84 x 119 cm 33 x 47 inch 841 x 1188 mm 33-1/8" x 46-3/4"
12xA4 Noticeboard 94 x 97 cm 37 x 38 inch 943 x 973 mm 37-1/8" x 38-1/4"
40x60 4 Sheet 102 x 152 cm 40 x 60 inch 1016 x 1524 mm 40" x 60"

More information about paper sizes

Use our helpful visual paper size guide

This page helps you understand how large or small different size signs, poster frames and notice boards look relative to an average size lady. Roll over the size chart, or swipe the image on mobile, to see what every paper size actually looks like. 

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Choose with care

Choose frames and cases with care! Some poster frames are pretty large and take up a good deal of space (and are costly to return). On the other hand, smaller sizes may look great when viewed up close, but lose impact when viewed for a distance.

Read more information about choosing a poster frame

Metric Paper Sizes

Metric paper sizes are also known as International Standard (ISO 216) or DIN (German Standard) paper sizes.
They are used in most of the countries in the world - the most important exception being North America.
 
In United Kingdom a few 'inch' sizes are used alongside metric sizes. However US 'letter' and 'legal' sizes are never used - they are universally replaced by A4 size. Letter size is shown on our diagram for reference - it is slightly wider than A4 and not quite as tall.
 
Every 'A' size is double the previous size: A3 is twice the size of A4, and so forth. 
Remember that A8 is very small (about 2in x 3in) and A0 is big (nearly 3ft x 4ft).
 
Metric name Size in mm (cm) Size in inches
A0 size 841x1188 mm (84x119) 33-1/8 x 46-3/4 in
A1 size 594x841 mm (60x84) 23-3/8 x 33-1/8 in
A2 size 420x594 mm (42x60) 16-1/2 x 23-3/8 in
A3 size 297x420 mm (30x42) 11-3/4 x 16-1/2 in
A4 size 210x297 mm (21x30) 8-1/4 x 11-3/4 in
A5 size 148x210 mm (15x21) 5-7/8 x 8-1/4 in
A6 size 105x148 mm (10x15) 4-1/8 x 5-7/8 in
A7 size 74x105 mm (7.5x10) 2-7/8 x 4-1/8 in
A8 size 52x74 mm (5x7.5) 2-1/8 x 2-7/8 in
1/3A4 (DL size) 99x210 mm (10x21) 3-7/8 x 8-1/4 in
1/4A4 (Qtr.A4) 74x210 mm (7.5x21) 2-7/8 x 8-1/4 in
 
  
To calculate in cm use mm above and move the decimal point one space to the left:
210mm is 21cm.  The above cm sizes are nominal (i.e. rounded to the nearest cm)
 

Imperial Paper Sizes (inches)

Inch size Size in mm Paper name
20x30 in 508x762 mm Double Crown
30x40 in 762x1016 mm Quad or Quad Crown
40x60 in 1016x1524 mm 4 Sheet or
    Double Quad

DL Size or 1/3 A4

There is one size which causes a lot of confusion and unfortunately Google doesn't help! 
When you fold a piece of A4 paper into 3 you end up with a very popular paper size - with no agreed name!
In the age of the Compliments Slip 'one third A4' written 1/3 A4 was a very common office paper size. When letters were folded into three to fit into a window envelope, people knew to order DL envelopes.  Today DL size has been 'adopted' as the name for this size (although the paper size is slightly smaller than the envelope so that they fit).

A common and correct way to describe this size is 1/3 A4. But search engines such as Google do not understand this size and frequently direct users searching for A4 size products to the much smaller (and cheaper) 1/3 A4. Because the user searched for A4 and they trust Google, customers end up ordering a 1/3 A4 product in error (and normally blame the supplier for sending the wrong thing!) So we no longer use "1/3 A4" - sometimes we write 1/3A4 or 1/3rdA4, but generally we use DL size as we find it's the least confusing to our customers.

Some people refer to this size as Trifold or flyer size or tourist leaflet size. In mainland Europe it is sometimes called A6L which stands for A6 Long. But A6 is a quarter of a sheet of A4, rather than one third, so that makes little sense. The certain way is to check the measurements: if your paper or leaflet is 10 cm x 21 cm or roughly 4 inch x 8 inch - you need to order DL size.