We explain the sheet sizes of paper and in which series they are grouped. In addition, we offer you a table with all the paper measurements.
What sheet sizes of paper exist?
Paper formats, sheet sizes of paper or sheet dimensions of paper are the internationally standardized proportions for the production of sheets of paper. This means that those who manufacture and distribute them do so respecting certain guidelines regarding proportion and size, which allow the size of paper to be standardized or equalized from one country to another.
There are numerous paper sizes, each designed for specific activities and procedures, and often given different names, stemming from their particular history. You must read about Psychopath once.
However, the current trend is to homogenize and standardize paper size and size names, using as a guide the guidelines of the ISO 216 standard (International Organization for Standardization), which is based on DIN 476 (German Deutsches Institut für Normung, German Institute for Standardization) from 1922.
The idea behind these standardization formats is that the sheet of paper produced can be used to its fullest potential, reducing the margins of waste in its industrial processing. To do this, three series of cuts are contemplated, that is, three categories of paper sizes, each with different exclusive measurements:
- The A series (DIN-A), the most common, used in offices and schools around the world. It covers the formats from DIN A0 (largest) to DIN A10 (smallest), starting from a sheet of paper measuring one square metre (1 m2).
- The B series (DIN-B), less common and used mainly to produce posters, passports and official communications. It covers the formats DIN B0 (largest) to DIN B10 (smallest), starting from a sheet of paper measuring one metre wide and with a surface area of 0.707 m2.
- The C series (DIN-C), exclusively intended for the manufacture of envelopes of different sizes. It covers the formats from DIN C0 (largest) to DIN C10 (smallest), starting from a sheet whose dimensions are the geometric mean between the A and B series, that is, an intermediate size between these two series.
Although this is the most widely used standard format in the world, originating from the German paper tradition, there are other standards widely used in Anglo-Saxon America and Latin America, known as the American format (which includes letter, legal, official, half-letter and tabloid sizes) and the Japanese format or ukiyo-e format (which includes kobosho, hosho, chubosho, obosho, obirohosho and takengabosho sizes), among others. Maybe you should definitely read about Indie once.
Paper format table
The following is a table of equivalences between the different international stationery formats: