International standard paper sizes

by Markus Kuhn created 1996-10-29 last modified 2006-05-02 <<http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-paper.html>> Standard paper sizes like ISO A4 are widely used all over the world today. This text explains the ISO 216 paper size system and the ideas ehind its desi!n.

The ISO paper size "on"ept

n the !" paper si#e system$ the height-to-wi%th ratio o& all pages is the s'uare root o& two ().*)*2 : )+. n other wor%s$ the wi%th an% the height o& a page relate to each other like the si%e an% the %iagonal o& a s'uare. ,his aspect ratio is especially con-enient &or a paper si#e. & you put two such pages ne.t to each other$ or e'ui-alently cut one parallel to its shorter si%e into two e'ual pieces$ then the resulting page will ha-e again the same wi%th/height ratio.

,he !" paper si#es are base% on the metric system. ,he s'uare-root-o&-two ratio %oes not permit both the height an% wi%th o& the pages to be nicely roun%e% metric lengths. ,here&ore$ the area o& the pages has been %e&ine% to ha-e roun% metric -alues. /s paper is usually speci&ie% in g/m0$ this simpli&ies calculation o& the mass o& a %ocument i& the &ormat an% number o& pages are known. !" 2)1 %e&ines the A series o& paper si#es base% on these simple principles: ,he height %i-i%e% by the wi%th o& all &ormats is the s'uare root o& two ().*)*2+. 2ormat /3 has an area o& one s'uare meter. 2ormat /) is /3 cut into two e'ual pieces. n other wor%s$ the height o& /) is the wi%th o& /3 an% the wi%th o& /) is hal& the height o& /3. /ll smaller / series &ormats are %e&ine% in the same way. & you cut &ormat /n parallel to its shorter si%e into two e'ual pieces o& paper$ these will ha-e &ormat /(n4)+. ,he stan%ar%i#e% height an% wi%th o& the paper &ormats is a roun%e% number o& millimeters. 2or applications where the !" / series %oes not pro-i%e an a%e'uate &ormat$ the # series has been intro%uce% to co-er a wi%er range o& paper si#es. ,he $ series o& &ormats has been %e&ine% &or en-elopes. ,he wi%th an% height o& a 5n &ormat are the geometric mean between those o& the /n an% the ne.t larger /(n6)+ &ormat. 2or instance$ 5) is the geometric mean between /) an% /3$ that means the same magni&ication &actor that scales /) to 5) also scales 5) to /3. !imilarly$ the &ormats o& the 7 series are the geometric mean between the / an% 5 series

&ormats with the same number. 2or e.ample$ an (un&ol%e%+ /* si#e letter &its nicely into a 7* en-elope$ which in turn &its as nicely into a 5* en-elope. & you &ol% this letter once to /5 &ormat$ then it will &it nicely into a 75 en-elope. 5 an% 7 &ormats naturally are also s'uare-root-o&-two &ormats. %ote& ,he geometric mean o& two numbers x an% y is the s'uare root o& their pro%uct$ (xy+)/2$ whereas their arithmetic mean is hal& their sum$ (x4y+/2. 2or e.ample$ the geometric mean o& the numbers 2 an% 8 is * (because */2 9 8/*+$ whereas their arithmetic mean is 5 (because 562 9 865+. ,he arithmetic mean is hal&-way between two numbers by a%%ition$ whereas the geometric mean is hal&-way between two numbers by multiplication. #y the way& ,he :apanese : ! ; 3)<8-1) stan%ar% %e&ines the same / series as !" 2)1$ but a slightly %i&&erent 5 series o& paper si#es$ sometimes calle% the : ! 5 or :5 series. : ! 53 has an area o& ).5 m0$ such that the area o& : ! 5 pages is the arithmetic mean o& the area o& the / series pages with the same an% the ne.t higher number$ an% not as in the !" 5 series the geometric mean. 2or e.ample$ :5< is <1* = 5)5$ :5* is 25> = <1*$ an% :55 is )82 = 25> mm. ?sing the : ! 5 series shoul% be a-oi%e%. t intro%uces a%%itional magni&ication &actors an% is not an international stan%ar%. ,he &ollowing table shows the wi%th an% height o& all !" / an% 5 paper &ormats$ as well as the !" 7 en-elope &ormats. ,he %imensions are in millimeters: $ Series 'ormats */3 )182 = 2<>8 @ @ @ @ 2/3 ))8A = )182 @ @ @ @ /3 8*) = ))8A 53 )333 = )*)* 73 A)> = )2A> /) 5A* = 8*) 5) >3> = )333 7) 1*8 = A)> /2 *23 = 5A* 52 533 = >3> 72 *58 = 1*8 /< 2A> = *23 5< <5< = 533 7< <2* = *58 A4 21( ) 2*+ 5* 253 = <5< 7* 22A = <2* /5 )*8 = 2)3 55 )>1 = 253 75 )12 = 22A /1 )35 = )*8 51 )25 = )>1 71 ))* = )12 /> >* = )35 5> 88 = )25 7> 8) = ))* /8 52 = >* 58 12 = 88 78 5> = 8) /A <> = 52 5A ** = 12 7A *3 = 5> /)3 21 = <> 5)3 <) = ** 7)3 28 = *3 ,he allowe% tolerances are B).5 mm &or %imensions up to )53 mm$ B2 mm &or %imensions abo-e )53 mm up to 133 mm$ an% B< mm &or %imensions abo-e 133 mm. !ome national e'ui-alents o& !" 2)1 speci&y tighter tolerances$ &or instance C D *>1 re'uires B) mm$ B).5 mm$ an% B2 mm respecti-ely &or the same ranges o& %imensions. A Series 'ormats # Series 'ormats

Appli"ation examples
,he !" stan%ar% paper si#e system co-ers a wi%e range o& &ormats$ but not all o& them are wi%ely use% in practice. /mong all &ormats$ /* is clearly the most important one &or %aily o&&ice use. !ome main applications o& the most popular &ormats can be summari#e% as: /3$ /) /)$ /2 /2$ /< technical %rawings$ posters &lip charts %rawings$ %iagrams$ large tables

/* letters$ maga#ines$ &orms$ catalogs$ laser printer an% copying machine output /5 note pa%s /1 postcar%s 55$ /5$ 51$ /1 books 7*$ 75$ 71 en-elopes &or /* letters: un&ol%e% (7*+$ &ol%e% once (75+$ &ol%e% twice (71+ 5*$ /< newspapers$ supporte% by most copying machines in a%%ition to /* 58$ /8 playing car%s ,he main a%-antage o& the !" stan%ar% paper si#es becomes ob-ious &or users o& copying machines: ,xample 1& Eou are in a library an% want to copy an article out o& a Fournal that has /* &ormat. n or%er to sa-e paper$ you want copy two Fournal pages onto each sheet o& /* paper. & you open the Fournal$ the two /* pages that you will now see together ha-e /< &ormat. 5y setting the magni&ication &actor on the copying machine to >)G (that is s'rt(3.5++$ or by pressing the A-.A4 button that is a-ailable on most copying machines$ both /* pages o& the Fournal article together will &ill exa"tly the /* page pro%uce% by the copying machine. "ne repro%uce% /* page will now ha-e /5 &ormat. Do waste% paper margins appear$ no te.t has been cut o&&$ an% no e.periments &or &in%ing the appropriate magni&ication &actor are necessary. ,he same principle works &or books in 55 or /5 &ormat. 7opying machines %esigne% &or !" paper si#es usually pro-i%e special keys &or the &ollowing &re'uently nee%e% magni&ication &actors: >)G s'rt(3.5+ /< H /* 8*G s'rt(s'rt(3.5++ 5* H /* ))AG s'rt(s'rt(2++ /* H 5* (also 55 H /*+ )*)G s'rt(2+ /* H /< (also /5 H /*+ ,he magni&ication &actors between all / si#es:
/rom to

A(

A1

A2

A-

A4

A0

A6

A+

A1

A*

A1(

A( )33G >)G 53G <5G 25G )8G )2.5G 8.8G 1.2G *.*G <.)G A1 )*)G )33G >)G 53G <5G 25G )8G )2.5G 8.8G 1.2G *.*G A2 233G )*)G )33G >)G 53G <5G 25G )8G )2.5G 8.8G 1.2G A- 28<G 233G )*)G )33G >)G 53G <5G 25G )8G )2.5G 8.8G A4 *33G 28<G 233G )*)G )33G >)G 53G <5G 25G )8G )2.5G A0 511G *33G 28<G 233G )*)G )33G >)G 53G <5G 25G )8G A6 833G 511G *33G 28<G 233G )*)G )33G >)G 53G <5G 25G A+ ))<)G 833G 511G *33G 28<G 233G )*)G )33G >)G 53G <5G A1 )133G ))<)G 833G 511G *33G 28<G 233G )*)G )33G >)G 53G A* 221<G )133G ))<)G 833G 511G *33G 28<G 233G )*)G )33G >)G A1( <233G 221<G )133G ))<)G 833G 511G *33G 28<G 233G )*)G )33G Dot only the operation o& copying machines in o&&ices an% libraries$ but also repro photography$ micro&ilming$ an% printing are simpli&ie% by the ):s'rt(2+ aspect ratio o& !" paper si#es. ,xample 2& & you prepare a letter$ you will ha-e to know the weight o& the content in or%er to %etermine the

postal &ee. ,his can be -ery con-eniently calculate% with the !" / series paper si#es. ?sual typewriter an% laser printer paper weighs 83 g/m0. /n /3 page has an area o& ) m0$ an% the ne.t smaller / series page has hal& o& this area. ,here&ore$ the /* &ormat has an area o& )/)1 m0 an% weighs with the common paper 'uality 5 g per page. & we estimate 23 g &or a 7* en-elope (inclu%ing some sa&ety margin+$ then you will be able to put )1 /* pages into a letter be&ore you reach the )33 g limit &or the ne.t higher postal &ee. 7alculation o& the mass o& books$ newspapers$ or packe% paper is e'ually tri-ial. Eou probably will not nee% such calculations o&ten$ but they nicely show the beauty o& the concept o& metric paper si#es. ?sing stan%ar% paper si#es sa-es money an% makes li&e simpler in many applications. 2or e.ample$ i& all scienti&ic Fournals use% only !" &ormats$ then libraries woul% ha-e to buy only -ery &ew %i&&erent si#es &or the bin%ers. !hel-es can be %esigne% such that stan%ar% &ormats will &it in e.actly without too much waste% shel& -olume. ,he !" &ormats are use% &or surprisingly many things besi%es o&&ice paper: the Ierman citi#en C car% has &ormat />$ both the Juropean ?nion an% the ?.!. (K+ passport ha-e &ormat 5>$ an% library micro&iches ha-e &ormat /1. n some countries (e.g.$ Iermany+ e-en many bran%s o& toilet paper ha-e &ormat /1.

'urther details
$al"ulatin! the dimensions /lthough the !" paper si#es are speci&ie% in the stan%ar% with the wi%th an% height gi-en in millimeters$ the %imensions can also be calculate% with the &ollowing &ormulas: 'ormat 2idth 3m4 5ei!ht 3m4 /n 26)/*6n/2 2)/*6n/2 5n 26n/2 2)/26n/2 7n 26)/86n/2 2</86n/2 ,he actual millimeter %imensions in the stan%ar% ha-e been calculate% by progressi-ely roun%ing %own any %i-ision-by-two result$ as the small program iso-paper.c %emonstrates. ,his guarantees that two /(n4)+ pages together are ne-er larger than an /n page. Aspe"t ratios other than s6rt728 !ometimes$ paper &ormats with a %i&&erent aspect ratio are re'uire% &or labels$ tickets$ an% other purposes. ,hese shoul% pre&erably be %eri-e% by cutting stan%ar% series si#es into <$ *$ or 8 e'ual parts$ parallel with the shorter si%e$ such that the ratio between the longer an% shorter si%e is greater than the s'uare root o& two. !ome e.ample long &ormats in millimeters are: )/< /* AA = 2)3 )/* /* >* = 2)3 )/8 /* <> = 2)3 )/* /< )35 = 2A> )/< /5 >3 = )*8 ,he )/< /* &ormat (AA = 2)3 mm+ is also commonly applie% &or re%uce% letterhea%s &or short notes that contain not much more than a one sentence message an% &it without &ol%ing into a CL en-elope. ,nvelope /ormats 2or postal purposes$ !" 21A an% C D 1>8 %e&ine the &ollowing en-elope &ormats:

'ormat Size 3mm4 $ontent 'ormat 71 ))* = )12 /* &ol%e% twice 9 /1 CL ))3 = 223 /* &ol%e% twice 9 )/< /* 71/75 ))* = 22A /* &ol%e% twice 9 )/< /* 75 )12 = 22A /* &ol%e% once 9 /5 7* 22A = <2* /* 7< <2* = *58 /< 51 )25 = )>1 71 en-elope 55 )>1 = 253 75 en-elope 5* 253 = <5< 7* en-elope J* 283 = *33 5* ,he CL &ormat is the most wi%ely use% business letter &ormat. CL probably originally stoo% &or MC D langN$ but !" 21A now e.plains this abbre-iation instea% more %iplomatically as MCimension LengthwiseN. ts si#e &alls somewhat out o& the system an% e'uipment manu&acturers ha-e complaine% that it is slightly too small &or reliable automatic en-eloping. ,here&ore$ C D 1>8 intro%uce% the 71/75 &ormat as an alternati-e &or the CL en-elope. 2indow envelopes9 A4 letterheads9 /oldin! marks and standard layouts ,here e.ists no international stan%ar% yet &or win%ow en-elopes an% matching letterhea% layouts. ,here are -arious incompatible national stan%ar%s$ &or e.ample: :ermany& C D 183 speci&ies that a transparent a%%ress win%ow is A3 = *5 mm large an% its le&t e%ge shoul% be locate% 23 mm &rom the le&t e%ge o& the en-elope. 2or 71$ CL$ an% 71/75 en-elopes$ the bottom e%ge o& the win%ow shoul% be )5 mm &rom the bottom e%ge o& the en-elope. 2or 7* en-elopes$ the top e%ge o& the win%ow shoul% be either 2> or *5 mm &rom the top e%ge o& the en-elope. ,he letterhea% stan%ar% C D 1>1 %oes not speci&y the actual content or &orm o& a pre-printe% letterhea%$ it only speci&ies #ones &or the location o& certain elements. ,he letterhea% &ormat speci&ie% in C D 1>1 has a 85 = *5 mm large a%%ress &iel% -isible through the win%ow$ in which the top 5 mm are reser-e% &or printing in a small &ont the sen%erOs a%%ress an% the bottom *3 mm are &or writing the recipientOs a%%ress. ,his &iel% starts 23 mm &rom the le&t paper e%ge an% either 2> mm (&orm /+ or *5 mm (&orm 5+ &rom the top. ,he two alternati-es allow a choice o& either a small (&orm /+ or large (&orm 5+ letterhea% layout in the area abo-e the a%%ress &iel%. !tan%ar% &ol%ing marks on the letterhea% assist users to insert the letter correctly into 71$ CL$ or 71/75 win%ow en-elopes. ,here is one &ol%ing mark (&or 71+ on the top e%ge o& the page$ )*8 mm &rom the le&t e%ge. ,here are also two &ol%ing marks on the le&t e%ge o& the page$ either )35 an% 2)3 mm &rom the bottom e%ge (&orm /+ or )35 an% 2)3 mm &rom the top e%ge (&orm 5+. ;nited <in!dom& 5! *21* speci&ies that the transparent win%ow on a CL en-elope shoul% be A< = <A mm large. ts top-le&t corner shoul% be locate% 23 mm &rom the le&t margin an% 5< mm &rom the top margin o& the en-elope. 5! )838 speci&ies an 83 = <3 mm large a%%ress panel on the letterhea%. ts top-le&t corner is locate% 23 mm &rom the le&t margin an% 5) mm &rom the top margin o& the page. ,he a%%ress panel is embe%%e% insi%e a A) = *8 mm large e.clusion #one whose top le&t corner is locate% 23 mm &rom the le&t margin an% *2 mm &rom the top margin o& the page. n other wor%s$ the area A mm abo-e an% below an% )) mm right o& the a%%ress panel shoul% be kept clean o& any other printing. Switzerland& ,he en-elope win%ow is )33 = *5 mm large an% locate% )2 mm either &rom the le&t or the right e%ge. ,he %istance to the top e%ge is *8 mm (&or 71 an% 75/71+ or 52 mm (&or 75+. ,he !DP 3)3)<3 letterhea% &ormat places the recipientOs a%%ress into a A3 = *3 mm large &iel% *5 mm &rom the top an% 8 mm &rom the right e%ge o& the /* page. Q&rom: R.S. 5osshar%$ )A83$ !5D <-8558*-3)3-5T

 'inland& !2! 2*88:)AA* speci&ies that &or J series en-elopes the si#e o& the win%ow is A3 = <3 mm an% &or the 7 series A5 = <5 mm. n either case$ the le&t margin is )8 mm an% the top margin *3 mm. !2! 2*8>:2333 (MLayout o& %ocument te.t areaN+ an% !2! 2*81:)AAA (M2orms LayoutN+ speci&y that the area &or the recipientOs a%%ress is >1.2 = 25.* mm$ locate% 23 mm &rom the le&t$ an% )3B) mm plus 25.* mm &rom the top (the 25.* mm are &or the sen%erOs in&ormation+. /ccor%ing to !" )))83 an% ?ni-ersal ;ostal ?nion stan%ar%s$ an international postal a%%ress shoul% be not longer than 1 lines with up to <3 characters each. ,his re'uires a ma.imum area o& >1.2 = <8.) mm with the commonly use% typewriter character wi%th o& 2.5* mm ()/)3U+ an% a baseline %istance o& 1.<5 mm ()/*U+. ,he ?ni-ersal ;ostal ?nion Letter ;ost Segulations speci&y a stan%ar% position o& the a%%ress on the en-elope$ which is within )*3 mm &rom the right e%ge$ at least *3 mm &rom the top e%ge$ an% is surroun%e% by at least )5 mm unprinte% en-elope to the le&t$ right an% below o& the a%%ress te.t. / wi%ely use% international stan%ar% /* %ocument &ormat is the ?nite% Dations Layout Key &or ,ra%e Cocuments ( !" 1*22+. 'oldin! lar!er pa!es to A4 /or /ilin! C D 82* %escribes a metho% o& &ol%ing /3$ /)$ etc. pages to /* &ormat &or &iling. ,his cle-er techni'ue ensures that there remains a 23 mm single-layer margin &or &iling holes$ that the page can be un&ol%e% an% &ol%e% again without being remo-e% &rom the &ile$ an% that the label &iel% at the bottom-le&t corner o& technical %rawings en%s up in correct orientation on top o& the &ol%e% page in the &ile. 'older and /ile sizes !" 12< speci&ies the si#es o& &ol%ers an% &iles inten%e% to recei-e either /* sheets or simple &ol%ers (without back+ that are not %esigne% &or any particular &iling system or cabinet. ,he si#es speci&ie% are those o& the o-erall rectangular sur&ace when the &ol%ers or &iles are &ol%e%$ e.clusi-e any margin or tabs. !imple &ol%ers without back or mechanism are 223 = <)5 mm large. 2ol%ers an% &iles with a -ery small back (less than 25 mm+ with or without mechanism are 2*3 = <23 mm large. 2iles with wi%e back (e.cee%ing 25 mm+ are 253 = <23 mm (without a mechanism+ or 2A3 = <23 mm i& they inclu%e a mechanism. /ll these are ma.imum %imensions. !tan%ar%i#ing &ol%er an% &ile si#es helps to optimi#e shel& %esigns an% pro-i%es a uni&orm look an% han%ling e-en i& &ol%ers &rom -arious manu&acturers are use%. 'ilin! holes !" 8<8 speci&ies that$ &or &iling purposes$ two holes o& 1B3.5 mm %iameter can be punche% into the sheets. ,he centers o& the two holes are 83B3.5 mm apart an% ha-e a %istance o& )2B) mm to the nearest e%ge o& the sheet. ,he holes are locate% symmetrically in relation to the a.is o& the sheet or %ocument. /ny &ormat that is at least as large as /> can be &ile% using this system. Dot speci&ie% in !" 8<8$ but also wi%ely use%$ is an upwar%s compatible *-hole system. ts two mi%%le holes correspon% to !" 8<8$ plus there are two a%%itional holes locate% 83 mm abo-e an% below these to pro-i%e &or more stability. ,his way$ sheets with &our punche% holes can also be &ile% in !" 8<8 2-hole bin%ers. ,his system is also known un%er the nickname U888U$ presumably because the three gaps between the holes are all 8 cm wi%e. !ome hole punches ha-e on their paper gui%e not only markings &or U/*U$ U/5U$ an% U/1U$ but also &or U888U. ,he latter helps to punch either the top or bottom two holes o& the 888 *-hole arrangement into an /* sheet.

Te"hni"al drawin! pen sizes ,echnical %rawing pens &ollow the same si#e-ratio principle. ,he stan%ar% si#es %i&&er by a &actor s'rt(2+: 2.33 mm$ ).*3 mm$ ).33 mm$ 3.>3 mm$ 3.53 mm$ 3.<5 mm$ 3.25 mm$ 3.)8 mm$ 3.)< mm. !o a&ter %rawing with a 3.<5 mm pen on /< paper an% re%ucing it to /*$ you can continue with the 3.25 mm pen. ( !" A)>5-)+ =uled writin! paper ,here seems to be no international stan%ar% yet &or rule% writing paper. ,he Ierman stan%ar%s organi#ation has publishe% C D )1552:)A>>-3* (MLines &or han%writingN+. ,hat system is wi%ely use%$ at least in Iermany$ by primary school teachers to speci&y which school e.ercise books pupils shoul% use at which stage o& learning how to write. Vriting paper with &ine gray 5 mm gri% lines seems to be -ery popular in many countries. ;ntrimmed paper /ormats /ll / an% 5 series &ormats %escribe% so &ar are trimme% paper en% si#es$ i.e. these are the %imensions o& the paper %eli-ere% to the user or rea%er. "ther !" stan%ar%s %e&ine the &ormat series S/ an% !S/ &or untrimme% raw paper$ where !S/ stan%s &or Msupplementary raw &ormat /N (Msekun%Wres Soh&ormat /N+. ,hese &ormats are only slightly larger than the correspon%ing / series &ormats. !heets in these &ormats will be cut to the en% &ormat a&ter bin%ing. ,he !" S/3 &ormat has an area o& ).35 m0 an% the !" !S/3 &ormat has an area o& ).)5 m0. ,hese &ormats also &ollow the s'rt(2+-ratio an% hal&-area rule$ but the %imensions o& the start &ormat ha-e been roun%e% to the &ull centimeter. ,he common untrimme% paper &ormats that printers or%er &rom the paper manu&acturers are =A Series S=A Series 'ormats 'ormats S/3 813 = )223 !S/3 A33 = )283 S/) 1)3 = 813 !S/) 1*3 = A33 S/2 *<3 = 1)3 !S/2 *53 = 1*3 S/< <35 = *<3 !S/< <23 = *53 S/* 2)5 = <35 !S/* 225 = <23 ,he S/ an% !S/ %imensions are also use% as roll wi%ths in rotating printing presses. Overhead pro>e"tors Vhen you prepare o-erhea% proFector sli%es &or a con&erence$ you might won%er$ how large the picture area o& the proFector that you will ha-e a-ailable is. !" >A*<-) speci&ies two stan%ar% si#es o& o-erhea% proFector picture areas: ,ype / is 253 = 253 mm (corners roun%e% with a ra%ius less than 13 mm+ an% ,ype 5 is 285 = 285 mm (corners roun%e% with a ra%ius less than *3 mm or cut o&& %iagonally no more than *3 mm+. ,here&ore$ i& you use /* transparencies$ lea-e at least a <3 mm top an% bottom margin. Most computer %isplays ha-e the same aspect ratio as (tra%itional+ ,P sets$ namely *:< 9 1*3:*83 9 833:133 9 )32*:>18 9 )283:A13. & you prepare presentation sli%es$ recommen% that you arrange your layout insi%e a 283 = 2)3 mm &iel% an% make sure that you lea-e at least 23 mm margin on the le&t an% right si%e. ,his way$ you plan &or the aspect ratio o& a ,P/PI/ proFector an% ensure at the same time that you can print on /* transparencies such that e-ery stan%ar% o-erhea% proFector will show all parts o& your sli%es.

Identi/i"ation "ards !" >8)3 speci&ies three &ormats &or i%enti&ication car%s: C-) 9 85.13 = 5<.A8 mm (9 <.<>3 = 2.)25 in+ C-2 9 )35 = >* mm (9 />+ C-< 9 )25 = 88 mm (9 5>+

C-) is the common &ormat &or banking car%s (3.>1 mm thick+ an% is also wi%ely use% &or business car%s an% %ri-erOs licences. !ome people pre&er /8 (>* = 52 mm+ &or business car%s. ,he stan%ar% passport &ormat is 5> (9 C-<+$ the Ierman C car% has /> (9 C-2+ &ormat an% the Juropean ?nion %ri-erOs licence is an C-) car%.

5istory o/ the ISO paper /ormats

"ne o& the ol%est written recor%s regar%ing the s'rt(2+ aspect ratio &or paper si#es is a letter that the physics pro&essor Ieorg 7hristoph Lichtenberg (?ni-ersity o& IXttingen$ Iermany$ )>*2-)>AA+ wrote )>81-)3-25 to :ohann 5eckmann. n it$ Lichtenberg e.plains the practical an% aesthetic a%-antages o& the s'rt(2+ aspect ratio$ an% o& his %isco-ery that paper with that aspect ratio was commonly a-ailable at the time. (,here are also suggestions that the task to &in% a paper &ormat that is similar to itsel& a&ter being cut in hal& appeare% as a 'uestion in mathematics e.ams as early as )>55.+ /&ter intro%ucing the meter measurement$ the 2rench go-ernment publishe% )>A8-))-3< the MLoi sur le timbreN (no. 2)<1+$ a law on the ta.ation o& paper that %e&ine% se-eral &ormats that alrea%y correspon% e.actly to the mo%ern !" paper si#es: MIran% registreN 9 !" /2$ Mgran% papierN 9 !" 5<$ Mmoyen papierN 9 !" /<$ Mpetit papierN 9 !" 5*$ M%emi &euilleN 9 !" 55$ Me&&ets %e commerceN 9 !" )/2 55. ,he 2rench &ormat series ne-er became wi%ely known an% was 'uickly &orgotten again. ,he /$ 5$ an% 7 series paper &ormats$ which are base% on the e.act same %esign principles$ were completely in%epen%ently rein-ente% o-er a hun%re% years a&ter the MLoi sur le timbreN in Iermany by Cr. Valter ;orstmann. ,hey were a%opte% as the Ierman stan%ar% C D *>1 in )A22 as a replacement &or the -ast -ariety o& other paper &ormats that ha% been use% be&ore$ in or%er to make paper stocking an% %ocument repro%uction cheaper an% more e&&icient. (2or those intereste% in historic %etails o& the %iscussions lea%ing to the stan%ar%$ there are some C D committee reports$ )A)8@ )A2<.+ ;orstmannOs C D paper-&ormat concept was con-incing$ an% soon intro%uce% as a national stan%ar% in many other countries$ &or e.ample$ 5elgium ()A2*+$ Detherlan%s ()A25+$ Dorway ()A21+$ !wit#erlan% ()A2A+$ !we%en ()A<3+$ !o-iet ?nion ()A<*+$ Rungary ()A<8+$ taly ()A<A+$ ?ruguay ()A*2+$ /rgentina ()A*<+$ 5ra#il ()A*<+$ !pain ()A*>+$ /ustria ()A*8+$ Somania ()A*A+$ :apan ()A5)+$ Cenmark ()A5<+$ 7#echoslo-akia ()A5<+$ srael ()A5*+$ ;ortugal ()A5*+$ Eugosla-ia ()A51+$ n%ia ()A5>+$ ;olan% ()A5>+$ ?nite% King%om ()A5A+$ Pene#uela ()A12+$ Dew Yealan% ()A1<+$ celan% ()A1*+$ Me.ico ()A15+$ !outh /&rica ()A11+$ 2rance ()A1>+$ ;eru ()A1>+$ ,urkey ()A1>+$ 7hile ()A18+$ Ireece ()A>3+$ !imbabwe ()A>3+$ !ingapur ()A>3+$ 5angla%esh ()A>2+$ ,hailan% ()A><+$ 5arba%os ()A><+$ /ustralia ()A>*+$ Jcua%or ()A>*+$ 7olumbia ()A>5+ an% Kuwait ()A>5+. t &inally became both an international stan%ar% ( !" 2)1+ as well as the o&&icial ?nite% Dations %ocument &ormat in )A>5 an% it is to%ay use% in almost all countries on this planet$ lea-ing Dorth /merica as the only remaining e.ception. n )A>>$ a large Ierman car manu&acturer per&orme% a stu%y o& the paper &ormats &oun% in their incoming mail an% conclu%e% that out o& )*8 e.amine% countries$ 88 alrea%y use% the / series &ormats then. Q!ource: Relbig/Rennig )A88T %ote& ,he Lichtenberg Satio @ use% by the stan%ar% paper &ormat series @ is occasionally con&use% with the Iol%en Satio (which Jucli% re&erre% to as the Me.treme an% mean ratioN+. ,he Lichtenberg Satio is %e&ine% by the e'uation a/b 9 2b/a 9 s'rt(2+$ whereas the Iol%en Satio is %e&ine% by a/b 9

(a4b+/a 9 b/(a6b+ 9 () 4 s'rt(5++/2. Vhile aesthetically pleasing properties ha-e been attribute% to both$ the Lichtenberg Satio has the a%-antage o& preser-ing the aspect ratio when cutting a page into two. ,he Iol%en Satio$ on the other han%$ preser-es the aspect ratio when cutting a ma.imal s'uare &rom the paper$ a property that seems not particularly use&ul &or o&&ice applications. ,he Iol%en Satio was &or a while a more &ashionable topic in the anti'ue an% renaissance arts literature an% it has a close connection to the 2ibonacci se'uence in mathematics. Q/ more %i-ine origin o& the /* &ormat has been suggeste% by Mr. Pernon :enkins in an e&&ort to re%uce unicity %istance.T

5ints /or %orth Ameri"an paper users

,he ?nite% !tates$ 7ana%a$ an% in part Me.ico$ are to%ay the only in%ustriali#e% nations in which the !" stan%ar% paper si#es are not yet wi%ely use%. n ?.!. o&&ice applications$ the paper &ormats MLetterN (2)1 = 2>A mm+$ MLegalN (2)1 = <51 mm+$ MJ.ecuti-eN ()A3 = 25* mm+$ an% MLe%ger/,abloi%N (2>A = *<2 mm+ are wi%ely use% to%ay. ,here e.ists also an /merican Dational !tan%ar% /D! //!MJ E)*.) &or technical %rawing paper si#es / (2)1 = 2>A mm+$ 5 (2>A = *<2 mm+$ 7 (*<2 = 55A mm+$ C (55A = 81* mm+$ J (81* = )))8 mm+$ an% there are many other unsystematic &ormats &or -arious applications in use. ,he MLetterN$ MLegalN$ M,abloi%N$ an% other &ormats (although not these names+ are %e&ine% in the /merican Dational !tan%ar% /D! Z<.)5))A8>. Vhile all !" paper &ormats ha-e consistently the same aspect ratio o& s'rt(2+ 9 ).*)*$ the ?.!. &ormat series has two %i&&erent alternating aspect ratios )>/)) 9 ).5*5 an% 22/)> 9 ).2A*. ,here&ore$ you cannot re%uce or magni&y &rom one ?.!. &ormat to the ne.t higher or lower without lea-ing an empty margin$ which is rather incon-enient. ,he new /merican Dational !tan%ar% /D! //!MJ E)*.)m-)AA5 speci&ies how to use the !" /36/* &ormats &or technical %rawings in the ?.!. ,echnical %rawings usually ha-e a &i.e% %rawing scale (e.g.$ ):)33 means that one meter is %rawn as one centimeter+$ there&ore it is not easily possible to resi#e technical %rawings between ?.!. an% stan%ar% paper &ormats. /s a result$ internationally operating ?.!. corporations increasingly &in% it more con-enient to aban%on the ol% /D! E)*.) &ormats an% prepare technical %rawings &or !" paper si#es$ like the rest o& the worl% %oes. ,he historic origins o& the 2)1 = 2>A mm ?.!. Letter &ormat$ an% in particular its rationale$ seem rather obscure. ,he earliest %ocumente% attempts to stan%ar%i#e ?.!. paper &ormat use% a completely %i&&erent &ormat. "n )A2)-3<-28$ the ?.!. !ecretary o& 7ommerce (Roo-er+ %eclare% a 23< = 21> mm &ormat to be the stan%ar% &or his %epartment$ which was a%opte% on )A2)-3A-)* by the ;ermanent 7on&erence on ;rinting (establishe% by Ieneral Cawes$ &irst %irector o& the 5ureau o& the 5u%get+ as the general ?.!. go-ernment letterhea% stan%ar%. n%epen%ent o& that$ on )A2)-38<3 a 7ommittee on the !impli&ication o& ;aper !i#es consisting o& printing in%ustry representati-es was appointe% to work with the 5ureau o& !tan%ar%s. t recommen%e% stan%ar% basic si#es o& *<2 = 55A mm ()> = 22 in+$ *<2 = >)) mm ()> = 28 in+$ *8< = 1)3 mm ()A = 2* in+$ 55A = 81* mm (22 = <* in+$ >)) = 81* mm (28 = <* in+$ an% 1)3 = A)* mm (2* = <1 in+. Vhat became later known as the ?.!. Letter &ormat is Fust the &irst o& these basic si#es hal-e%. "ne hypothesis &or the origin o& this &ormat series is that it was %eri-e% &rom a then typical mol% si#e use% then in the pro%uction o& han%-ma%e paper. M t %oes not appear$ e-en in the selection o& 8 )/2 = )) inch si#e paper$ that any special analysis was ma%e to pro-e that this pro-i%e% an optimum si#e &or a commercial letterhea%N QCunn$ )A>2.T. t appears that this stan%ar% was Fust a commercial compromise at the time to re%uce in-entory re'uirements without re'uiring signi&icant changes to e.isting pro%uction e'uipment. ,he Roo-er stan%ar% remaine% in &orce until the go-ernment %eclare% in )A83-3) the 2)1 = 2>A mm &ormat to be the new o&&icial paper &ormat &or ?.!. go-ernment o&&ices. ,he 7ana%ian stan%ar% 7/D 2-A.13M M;aper !i#es &or 7orrespon%enceN %e&ines the si. &ormats ;)

(513 = 813 mm+$ ;2 (*<3 = 513 mm+$ ;< (283 = *<3 mm+$ ;* (2)5 = 283 mm+$ ;5 ()*3 = 2)5 mm+$ an% ;1 ()3> = )*3 mm+. ,hese are Fust the ?.!. si#es roun%e% to the nearest hal& centimeter (;* ~ ?.!. Letter$ ;< ~ ?.!. Le%ger+. ,his 7ana%ian stan%ar% was intro%uce% in )A>1$ e-en though the "ntario Io-ernment alrea%y ha% intro%uce% the !" / series &ormats be&ore in )A>2. J-en though these 7ana%ian paper si#es look somewhat like a pseu%o-metric stan%ar%$ they still su&&er &rom the two maFor incon-eniences o& the ?.!. &ormats$ namely they ha-e no common height/wi%th ratio an% they %i&&er signi&icantly &rom what the rest o& the worl% uses. %ote& t was propose% &or an early %ra&t o& !" 2)1 to recommen%e% the special si#e 2)3 = 283 mm (a &ormat sometimes calle% ;/*+ as an interim measure &or countries that use 2)5 = 283 mm paper an% ha-e not yet a%opte% the !" / series. !ome maga#ines an% other print pro%ucts that ha-e to be printe% economically on both /* an% ?.!. Letter presses use the ;/* &ormat to%ay. nci%entally$ this ;/* &ormat has a wi%th/height ratio o& <:*$ the same as tra%itional ,P screens an% most computer monitors an% -i%eo mo%es. 5oth the MLetterN an% MLegalN &ormat coul% easily be replace% by /*$ MJ.ecuti-eN (i& it is really nee%e%+ by 55$ an% MLe%ger/,abloi%N by /<. !imilarly$ the /@J &ormats can be replace% by /*@/3. t can be hope% an% e.pecte% that with the continuing intro%uction o& the metric system in the ?nite% !tates$ the !" paper &ormats will e-entually replace non-stan%ar% paper &ormats also in Dorth /merica. 7on-ersion to /* as the common business letter an% %ocument &ormat in Dorth /merica woul% not be too %i&&icult$ as practically all mo%ern so&tware$ copying machines$ an% laser printers sol% to%ay in the ?.!. alrea%y support /* paper as a stan%ar% &eature. ?sers o& photocopiers outsi%e the ?.!. an% 7ana%a usually take it &or grante% that the machine is able to enlarge /* H /< or re%uce /< H /*$ the two paper &ormats usually kept in machines with two paper trays. Vhen they use a copier in Dorth /merica$ it o&ten comes as a %isappointing surprise when they &in% out that magni&ying an entire page is not a &unction a-ailable there. ,he absence o& this use&ul capability is a %irect result o& the un&ortunate %esign o& the ?.!. paper &ormats. Dorth /merican copiers usually also ha-e two or more paper trays$ but these are mostly use% &or the two -ery similar MLetterN an% MLegalN &ormats$ wasting the opportunity o& o&&ering a highly use&ul magni&ying capability. /ny enlarging o& a MLetterN page onto MLegalN paper will always chop o&& margins an% is there&ore o& little use. ,he Legal &ormat itsel& is 'uite rarely use%$ the notion that it is &or MlegalN work is a popular myth[ the -ast maFority o& ?.!. legal %ocuments are actually using the MLetterN &ormat. !ome copiers also o&&er in a%%ition or instea% the ne.t larger MLe%gerN &ormat$ but that again has a %i&&erent aspect ratio an% will there&ore change the margins o& a %ocument %uring magni&ication or re%uction. 5ase% on the e.perience &rom the intro%uction o& !" paper &ormats in other in%ustriali#e% countries at -arious points %uring the 23th century$ it becomes clear that this process nee%s to be initiate% by a political %ecision to mo-e all go-ernment operation to the new paper &ormat system. Ristory shows that the commercial worl% then gra%ually an% smoothly a%opts the new go-ernment stan%ar% &or o&&ice paper within about )3@)5 years. t woul% not be a maFor operation to %o this in the ?.!. an% 7ana%a as well$ especially consi%ering that most stan%ar% so&tware an% o&&ice machines are alrea%y prepare% &or /*. Rowe-er$ such a proFect can succee% only i& the national e.ecuti-e has the political will to accomplish this. ,he transition perio% o& about a %eca%e is necessary to a-oi% e.pensi-e e'uipment replacement costs &or printers$ especially those with ol%er large rotary presses that were not yet %esigne% to be easily retoole% &or !" paper si#es. & you purchase new o&&ice or printing e'uipment in Dorth /merica$ it might be wise to pay attention whether the e'uipment is suitable &or use with /* paper. Vhen you make in'uiries$ best in%icate to -en%ors that !" 2)1 compatibility o& e'uipment is o& concern to you. & you li-e in the ?.!. an% ha-e ne-er been abroa%$ you might not be aware that paper an% accessories in the Dorth-/merican si#es are not commonly a-ailable outsi%e the ?.!. or 7ana%a. ,hey are -ery %i&&icult to obtain in any other country an% the only practical way to get ?.!. MLetterN there is to cut one o& the ne.t larger a-ailable si#es (usually 5*$ /< or S/*+. ,here&ore$ %o not

e.pect anyone to sen% you %ocuments in MLetterN &ormat &rom abroa%. & you sen% %ocuments to any other country$ your use o& /* will greatly ease the han%ling an% &iling o& your %ocuments &or the recipient. & you %esign so&tware that might be use% globally$ please keep in min% that the -ast maFority o& laser printer users will print onto /* paper. ,here&ore$ always make /* the %e&ault setting an% the &irst selection choice in your printing user inter&ace. Semember that it is the paper &ormat use% by about A5G o& the people on this planet. Cue to popular %eman%$ ha-e prepare% an uno&&icial table with the !" si#es in inch &ractions. Jach liste% inch &raction has the smallest %enominator that keeps the -alue within the !" 2)1 tolerance limits. ;ro%uct %esigners shoul% use the o&&icial millimeter -alues instea%. ,here is also a table in ;ost!cript points. A Series 'ormats # Series 'ormats $ Series 'ormats */3 11 )/* = A< 5/8 @ @ @ @ 2/3 *1 </* = 11 )/* @ @ @ @ /3 << = *1 </* 53 <A </8 = 55 </* 73 <1 = 5) /) 2< </8 = << 5) 2> </* = <A </8 7) 25 )/2 = <1 /2 )1 )/2 = 2< </8 52 )A </* = 2> </* 72 )8 = 25 )/2 /< )) </* = )1 )/2 5< )< >/8 = )A </* 7< )2 </* = )8 A4 1 1?4 ) 11 -?4 5* A >/8 = )< >/8 7* A = )2 </* /5 5 >/8 = 8 )/* 55 > = A >/8 75 1 </8 = A /1 * )/8 = 5 >/8 51 * >/8 = > 71 * )/2 = 1 </8 /> 2 >/8 = * )/8 5> < )/2 = * >/8 7> < </)1 = * )/2 /8 2 = 2 >/8 58 2 )/2 = < )/2 78 2 )/* = < </)1 /A ) )/2 = 2 5A ) </* = 2 )/2 7A ) 5/8 = 2 )/* /)3 ) = ) )/2 5)3 ) )/* = ) </* 7)3 ) )/8 = ) 5/8 ,he %ominance o& the MLetterN &ormat instea% o& !" /* as the common laser-printer paper &ormat in Dorth /merica causes a lot o& problems in %aily international %ocument e.change with the ?!/ an% 7ana%a. !" /* is 1 mm less wi%e but )8 mm higher than the ?.!. MLetterN &ormat. Vor% processing %ocuments with an /* layout can o&ten not be printe% without loss o& in&ormation on MLetterN paper or re'uire you to re&ormat the te.t$ which will change the page numbering. MLetterN &ormat %ocuments printe% outsi%e Dorth /merica either show too much white space on the top or bottom o& the page or the printer re&uses to operate as MLetterN &ormat paper has been selecte% by the so&tware but is not a-ailable. /* si#e %ocuments ha-e to be copie% or printe% with a A*G magni&ication &actor to &it on the 1G less tall MLetterN paper$ an% MLetterN %ocuments ha-e to be printe% with A>G si#e to &it on the <G less wi%e /* &ormat. ?ni-ersities in the ?.!. increasingly use /* si#e paper in laser printers an% library copying machines$ because most con&erences outsi%e Dorth /merica re'uire papers to be submitte% in /* &ormat an% many Fournals an% con&erence procee%ings are printe% in /* &ormat. ,he three-hole )38-mm &iling system wi%ely use% in the ?.!. is not compatible with the two-hole 83-mm !" system use% in most other countries. ,he three-hole system coul% o& course also be use% on /* pages$ but many &iles with a three-hole mechanism are only %esigne% &or ?.!. MLetterN sheets an% are not tall enough to reliably protect /* pages. /nother %isa%-antage o& the three-hole system is that it is not suitable &or storing &ormats smaller than ?.!. MLetterN. ,he ?.!. ;ostal !er-ice stan%ar%-si#e range &or &irst-class or single piece thir%-class mail weighing up to 28 g inclu%es !" 71 an% CL en-elopes. ,he ?.!. currently use 'uite a large number o& en-elope &ormats. ,he ?.!. paper in%ustry has manage% to come up with a truly bi#arre way o& speci&ying the %ensity o& paper. nstea% o& pro-i%ing you with the ob-ious 'uotient o& mass per area (e.g.$ in grams per

s'uare meter$ ounces per s'uare yar%$ whate-er+$ they speci&y the total mass M o& a ream o& N pages o& some si#e X=Y. ,his means$ you ha-e to know &our (K+ -alues in or%er to un%erstan% how to calculate the (scalar+ %ensity o& the paper. 2or e.ample M23 lb paperN can mean that a ream o& 533 pages in &ormat 2*=<1 in has a total mass o& 23 poun%s. ,hese ream si#es o& 533 = 2* in = <1 in 9 2>8.>3A)2 m0 are somewhat typical in newsprint applications but not uni-ersal$ as )>=22 in$ 25=<8 in an% other re&erence sheet si#es are use% as wellK Vith *5<.5A2<> g/lb an% 2>8.>3A)2 m0/ream$ we get roughly ) lb/ream 9 ).1< g/m0 &or this particular ream si#e. t is a big pain i& you ha-e to %o these con-ersions yoursel& an% you really shoul% complain to paper suppliers who still %o not manage to communicate the proper g/m0 -alues (commonly calle% MgrammageN in both Jnglish an% 2rench+ &or their pro%ucts. /n% be&ore &orget it$ rea%ers &ascinate% by the i%ea o& 7entral Juropeans using /1 as a toilet paper si#e might also be intereste% to hear that the ?.!. ha-e &or the same application &iel% a stan%ar% s'uare &ormat o& *.5=*.5 in 9 ))*=))* mm$ which is &or instance %ocumente% in Dew :ersey !peci&ication Do. >5>2-3) (May )AA>+$ section 2.<. 5elow &ollow some links to -arious other on-line locations that will help you to enter the !" paper &ormat worl%. ,he Iui%e to nternational ;aper !i#es by JC! nc. %escribes !"$ : !$ an% non-metric paper &ormats 5rian 2ort\: /* -s ?! Letter an% ;aper si#es &or screenplay presentation Making ;ostscript an% /crobat 2iles nternational by :acob ;alme e.plains the problems cause% by the %i&&erence between ?.!. Letter an% !" /* laser printer paper &ormats mperial ;aper an% 5ook !i#es !ome -ery nice /* paper artwork by ;eter 7allesen /lthough it is still rarely a%-ertise%$ !" /* laser printer an% copying paper$ as well as suitable &iles an% &ol%ers$ are a-ailable to%ay &rom many ?.!. o&&ice supply companies. /* paper an% supplies ha-e been regularly or%ere% in the ?.!. &or many years$ especially by companies an% organi#ations with a lot o& international correspon%ence$ inclu%ing patent lawyers$ %iplomats$ uni-ersities$ an% some go-ernment agencies. Many o& the larger stationery chains %o o&&er at least one type o& /* paper in their catalogues. "&ten the only type o& /* paper a-ailable is a higher-'uality bran%: the type o& paper one might pre&er &or important %ocuments$ such as international patent applications. ,he ?.!.-manu&acture% laser-printer paper perhaps most wi%ely a-ailable in /* &ormat appears to be MRammermill 2ore M; VhiteN (search &or or%er co%e R/M)3<3<1+$ but there are others as well. & the shop assistant is un&amiliar with M/* paperN$ try asking &or M2)3 mm = 2A> mmN$ M8 )/* in = )) </* inN$ Minternational si#eN$ or MJuropean si#eN paper. Vhen &irst wrote this page in )AA1 while li-e% in the ?.!.$ most shops there %i% not keep /* paper on stock routinely an% might ha-e to or%er it &irst. Many were only able to or%er entire bo.es o& )3 reams (5333 sheets+ an% many shop assistants were un&amiliar with the !" paper-si#e system. am being tol% that the situation has impro-e% 'uite a bit %uring the last %eca%e an% that /* paper an% accessories are now a lot easier to obtain$ but are still consi%ere% specialty items. & you still cannot &in% any supply &or /* paper in your area$ then try &or e.ample the &ollowing -en%ors$ who ha-e con&irme% to ha-e /* paper or relate% articles on stock &or &ast %eli-ery: Jmpire mports nc.$ custs-c]empireimports.com$ Juropean "&&ice !upplies$ ;.". 5o. 2>28$ /mherst$ M/ 3)33*-2>28$ phone )-833-5**-*>**$ &a. )-833-8<5-5)*3$ has a -ery goo% selection o& /* &ilebin%ers$ !" hole punches$ /* paper$ etc. ,ry their /* starter kit. Juropean "&&ice !olutions nc.$ 1)3< !ilken Laumann Vay$ Mississauga$ "ntario L5P )/)$ 7ana%a$ phone )-8>>-A2A-A>)<$ sells /* copier paper an% many accessories. "&&ice Cepot sells Rammermill 2ore C; ;aper$ 8 )/*U . )) </*U$ 23 Lb.$ A1 5rightness$

Seam "& 533 !heets$ tem ^: 21)>82$ _1.2A !taples has recently starte% to o&&er /* paper (e.g.$ URammerMill 2ore M; ;remium Multi2unction ;aper /*-!i#eU$ item no. R/M)3<3<1+$ /* ring bin%ers$ /* sheet protectors$ an% other international si#e o&&ice accessories. "&&iceMa. also sells Rammermill 2ore Multipurpose ;aper$ /* ())-</*U . 8-)/*U+. tem ^ 23)23)>*$ !tyle ^ R;I)3<3<1. Zpe%. operate a chain o& paper stores in the ?.!. (mainly in in%ustrial or commercial areas+ an% store /* paper as a regular stock item. KJ/ has been reporte% to sell in its ?.!. stores not only &iling cabinets that are %esigne% &or both /* an% ?.!. Letter$ but also &rames$ o&&ice paper an% other o&&ice supplies in both !" an% ?.!. &ormat. Rammermill 2ore M; Vhite "&&ice ;aper$ 23-lb.!ub.$ 2)3mm . 2A>mm$ nternatOl /* Zero.$ phone )-833-822-2233$ sells /* paper (e.g.$ U;remium Multipurpose *32*$ a-* si#eU$ or%er no. <S25A*+ &or laser printers an% copying machines. !outhworth 7ompany$ 215 Main !treet$ /gawam$ M/ 3)33)$ phone )-833-225-)8<A is a pro%ucer o& &ine cotton an% inkFet /* paper an% matching CL en-elopes in -arious colors an% te.tures. ,hese are now also %istribute% in the ?.!. to resellers$ &or e.ample -ia !.;. Sichar%s. 7arstens carstens]carstens.com$ phone )-833->82-)52*$ sells /* ringbin%ers. Keysan$ sales]keysan.com$ ;" 5o. 5)*1 ;ittsburgh$ ;/ )5231$ phone )-833-A1A-5<A>$ sell /* ringbin%ers. Metro ;aper$ sales]metropaper.com$ phone )-833-13>-2><>. 5oise 7asca%e now also sells /* paper in the ?.!. (catalog number ;))3<3<-1+ IS/E,JZ ;/;JS!$ phone )-833-8)<-5828$ are another ?! supplier o& /<$ /*$ an% /5 papers. !unrise ;aper nc.$ phone 481 )<A)><183><$ are an /merican owne% wholesale e.port broker o& /*$ o&&set$ an% coate% paper gra%es &rom 7hina. more on-line paper -en%ors can easily be &oun% -ia the EahooK nternet %irectory.

,his is Fust a small arbitrary collection o& paper -en%ors that o&&er !" &ormat paper. ;lease mail me i& you know other use&ul hints an% net resources about working with !" paper si#es. especially want to in-ite Dorth /merican -en%ors o& !" paper &ormat relate% pro%ucts (paper$ en-elopes$ &iling material$ o&&ice &urniture$ etc.+ to contact me so that can collect pointers to these companies here. & you want to purchase cheap /* paper an% accessories in the ?.!. but still ha-e %i&&iculties &in%ing any locally$ please %o take the time to in&orm the purchasing %epartment o& your usual o&&ice supply company about your nee%s. ;oint them to this web page i& they are not &amiliar with the paper si#e system use% by >A3G o& the people on this planet.

=e/eren"es
,his te.t summari#es an% e.plains the content o& the &ollowing international stan%ar%s: !" 2)1:)A>5$ Vriting paper an% certain classes o& printe% matter ` ,rimme% si#es ` / an% 5 series. !" 21A:)A85$ 7orrespon%ence en-elopes ` Cesignation an% si#es. !" 12<:)A>*$ ;aper an% boar% ` 2ol%ers an% &iles ` !i#es. !" 8<8:)A>*$ ;aper ` Roles &or general &iling purposes ` !peci&ications. !" >A*<-):)A8>$ "-erhea% ;roFectors ` ;roFection stages ` Cimensions

,he &ollowing stan%ar%s contain relate% in&ormation but are not co-ere% here completely: !" 2)>:)AA5$ ;aper ` ?ntrimme% si#es ` Cesignation an% tolerances &or primary an% supplementary ranges$ an% in%ication o& machine %irection. !" <28:)A>*$ ;icture postcar%s an% lettercar%s ` !i#e. !" <5<:)A>5$ ;rocesse% writing paper an% certain classes o& printe% matter ` Metho% o& e.pression o& %imensions. !" *)1:)A>*$ ;icture postcar%s ` /rea reser-e% &or the a%%ress. !" *>8:)A>*$ ;aper ` ?ntrimme% stock si#es &or the !"-/ !eries ` !" primary range. !" *>A:)A>5$ ;aper ` ?ntrimme% si#es ` Cesignation an% tolerances. !" 5A<:)A>*$ ;aper ` ?ntrimme% stock si#es &or the !"-/ !eries ` !" supplementary range. !" 1)8:)A>*$ ;aper ` /rticles o& stationery that inclu%e %etachable sheets ` "-erall trimme% si#es. nternational "rgani#ation &or !tan%ar%i#ation 7ase postale 51 )$ rue %e Paremb\ 7R-)2)) Iena-e 23 !wit#erlan% phone: 4*) 22 >*A 3) )) &a.: 4*) 22 ><< <* <3 web: www.iso.org ,he most comprehensi-e source o& in&ormation about the !" an% Dorth /merican paper &ormats an% many relate% stan%ar%s$ as well as their respecti-e histories$ is the book Ma. Relbig$ Vin&rie% Rennig: C D-2ormat /* @ Jin Jr&olgssystem in Ie&ahr. 5euthKommentare$ Ceutsches nstitut &br Dormung$ 5euth Perlag$ )A88$ )** pages$ !5D <-*)3))8>8-3$ ~)> J?S. C D also pro%uce% a brie& Ierman prospectus with in&ormation about the history o& the C D paper si#es: Cie Ieschichte %er ;apier&ormate Rere are a &ew more re&erences &or those intereste% in the intro%uction o& !" paper si#es in Dorth /merica: /rthur C. Cunn: Dotes on the stan%ar%i#ation o& paper si#es. "ttawa$ 7ana%a$ 5* pages$ )A>2. (out o& print$ a-ailable -ia inter-library loan &rom Dational Library o& 7ana%a$ ,! )))8 !5 C*$ /M 7?! Do. ><881+ Sesponse &rom Michael 2. CiMario$ ?.!. ;ublic ;rinter$ on my re'uest &or in&ormation about the intro%uction o& !" 2)1 paper &ormats in ?.!. go-ernment agencies. /% Roc 7ommittee Seport @ Metric ?sage in 2e%eral ;rinting$ a stu%y %one in )AA2 by the ?.!. go-ernment that shows that migration to international stan%ar% paper &ormats is &easible an%$ with &ew e.ceptions$ woul% not cause signi&icant costs. !ome relate% me%ia co-erage: ,he logic behin% metric paper si#es. !lash%ot$ 233*-35-)*. & you ha-e any 'uestions or suggestions about how this te.t might be impro-e%$ please contact me

,hese stan%ar%s are a-ailable &rom

by email. wish to thank &or help&ul suggestions Iary 5rown$ Iene 2ornario$ Con Rillger$ /ril% :ensen$ :oseph 5. Sei%$ 5ruce Daylor$ Syan ;ark$ ,erry !impson$ Karl Kleine$ :ukka Korpela$ Ca-i% 7antrell$ "li-er 5aptiste$ Mark Veyer$ 5enoit Sittau%$ 2rank Cabelstein$ an% others. !pecial thanks go also to the Ierman-/merican 2ulbright 7ommission &or the scholarship that allowe% me to spen% a year at ;ur%ue ?ni-ersity$ n%iana$ where this te.t was born$ along with my interest in ?.!. metrication. Ryperte.t links to this te.t are -ery welcome. Eou may &reely reuse any part o& this te.t in your own publications. & you %o$ woul% appreciate a &ree copy. Eou might also be intereste% in the Metric typographic units an% nternational stan%ar% %ate an% time notation web pages$ or in the %iscussions on the ?!JDJ, group misc.metric-system. Markus Kuhn

@etri" typo!raphi" units

created 1999-01-15 last modified 2003-02-24 <<http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/metric-typo.html>> ,ypography is an ol% art. Long be&ore the intro%uction o& the international stan%ar% system o& units (Mmetric systemN+$ printing e'uipment manu&acturers all o-er the worl% ha-e establishe% a bewil%ering -ariety units to measure length$ many o& which continue to be use% to%ay: ) point (,ruchet+ 9 3.)88 mm (obsolete to%ay+ ) point (Ci%ot+ 9 3.<>1 mm 9 )/>2 o& a 2rench royal inch (2>.3> mm+ ) point (/,/+ 9 3.<5)*5A8 mm 9 3.3)<8<> inch ) point (,eZ+ 9 3.<5)*5A83<5 mm 9 )/>2.2> inch ) point (;ostscript+ 9 3.<52>>>>>>8 mm 9 )/>2 inch ) point (lO mprimerie nationale$ D+ 9 3.* mm ) pica (/,/+ 9 *.2)>5)>1 mm 9 )2 points (/,/+ ) pica (,eZ+ 9 *.2)>5)>1*2 mm 9 )2 points (,eZ+ ) pica (;ostscript+ 9 *.2<<<<<<<< mm 9 )2 points (;ostscript+ ) cicero 9 *.5<) mm 9 )2 points (Ci%ot+

,he printing an% publishing so&tware market is at present %ominate% by manu&acturers (/pple$ /%obe$ Microso&t$ cuark$ etc.+ locate% in the ?nite% !tates$ the last country on the planet that has yet to make signi&icant progress towar%s the intro%uction o& mo%ern stan%ar% units. /s a result$ the use o& stan%ar% units is &ar &rom well establishe% in %igital typography$ to the signi&icant annoyance o& users all o-er the worl%. ,he main problems are: ,he %ominant unit o& length$ the ;ostscript point$ has with 25.*/>2 9 3.<52>>>... mm a -ery incon-enient relationship to the most wi%ely use% length units (meter an% millimeter+. ,here e.ists no well-establishe% practice &or %enoting a &ont si#e. Q"ne e.ample o& a somewhat establishe% con-ention is to speci&y the length o& an MemN in ;ost!cript points. Ristorically$ the MemN was the wi%th o& the wi%est metal type in a &ont$ which was &or Soman &onts typically the capital letter MMN. ,o%ay$ the control points o& %igital &ont outlines are store% in terms o& coor%inates insi%e a unit s'uare. ,his s'uare is a -ague e'ui-alent o& the historic ma.imum metal type si#e an% its si%e length has become the mo%ern incarnation o& the MemN. /s a result$ no easily measurable %imension in a te.t matches the point length that %esignates a &ont si#eT Sesolutions o& output %e-ices are still &re'uently speci&ie% in %pi (%ots per inch+$ which is the reciprocal -alue o& the pi.el si#e multiplie% with 25.* mm. Vith the metric system$ we ha-e now a well establishe%$ consistent$ an% globally accepte% set o& length units$ ranging &rom subatomic to cosmological %imensions. ,he use o& archaic a%-hoc special purpose units has become obsolete an% shoul% be strongly %iscourage%. t is time that the typographic community &inally aban%ons its current unit mess in two ways: a%opt the metric system %enote &ont si#es base% on a measurable characteristic length o& the printe% glyphs Metric typographic units are alrea%y use% in :apan an% to some %egree in Iermany an% other Juropean countries. Rowe-er$ the market %ominance o& ?!-originate% typographic so&tware without proper support &or metric units at all le-els currently hin%ers the &urther %eployment o&

metric typographic practice. ,he Ierman %ra&t stan%ar% C D )153>-2 suggests that all length measurements in %igital typography shoul% be speci&ie% in millimeters. t suggests &urther that %imensions shoul% be multiples o& 3.25 mm$ or where a &iner resolution is re'uire% multiples o& 3.) or 3.35 mm. Do more points$ picas$ ciceros$ inches$ etc. an% all their aw&ul con-ersion &actors. :apanese typesetters use the unit c ('uarter+ &or &ont si#es$ where ) c 9 3.25 mm$ i.e. the same mo%ulus recommen%e% by C D )153>-2. ,his measure coinci%es nicely with the most common pi.el si#e on computer monitors. 2or e.ample a typical 7S, screen has a %isplay area o& <23=2*3 mm$ %i-i%e% into )283=)32* pi.els$ which makes each pi.el 3.25 mm large.

'ont sizes
AI% 160(+B2
,his %ra&t stan%ar% %e&ines (among many others+ the &ollowing two &ont measures: 'ont size (Ierman: !chri&tgrXde+ ,his is the baseline %istance &or which the &ont was %esigne%. / &ont shoul% normally be i%enti&ie% an% selecte% by this si#e$ because the inten%e% baseline %istance is much more rele-ant &or practical layout work than the actual %imensions o& certain characters. 'ont hei!ht (Ierman: "berhXhe+ ,his is the height in mm o& letters such as k or R. ,ypically$ the &ont height is aroun% >2G o& the &ont si#e$ but this is o& course at the %iscretion o& the &ont %esigner. & we write say MRel-etica 5.3N$ then this means we ha-e a &ont that was %esigne% &or a 5 mm line spacing. t will typically ha-e an R that is <.1 mm or )3.2 points tall (>2G o& 5 mm+. 7alculations become tri-ial: in a 13 mm high column$ we can write e.actly 13 mm / 5 mm 9 )2 lines. ,he baselines o& te.t become neatly aligne% with a millimeter gri%$ an% i& millimeters are use% to %escribe both &ont si#e an% &ont height$ their relationship becomes easier to han%le than i& %i&&erent units such as mm an% points were use%. Layout %esigners %o not ha-e to Fuggle any more with con-ersion &actors such as >2.2> an% 25.*. & you write MRel-etica 5.33/5.25N then this means that you use e.actly the same &ont as abo-e$ but with 3.25 mm more baseline skip than it was %esigne% &or. C D )153>-2 contains a list o& pre&erre% metric &ont si#es$ together with the correspon%ing pre&erre% >2G &ont heights in mm. ,he table below shows$ in a%%ition to these -alues &rom the stan%ar%$ the correspon%ing pre&erre% >2G &ont heights in ;ostscript points$ &or easier comparison with the ol% &ont si#es. Dote: the point si#es o& ?! &onts %o not always re&er to the k/R height that is %e&ine% by C D as the &ont height. !ome &ont manu&acturers (e.g.$ Knuth+ also re&er to the si#e o& taller characters such as M(N$ so be care&ul not to con-ert incompatible measurements. nstea%$ try to &in% out the baseline %istance &or which a &ont was originally %esigne% i& you want to con-ert properly to metric si#es.
Font Size Font Height | Font Size Font Height [mm] [mm] [pt] | [mm] [mm] [pt] -----------------------------+---------------------------1.5 1.1 3.1 | 6.0 4.3 12.2 1.75 1.3 3.6 | 7.0 5.0 14.3 2.0 1.4 4.1 | 8.0 5.8 16.3 2.25 1.6 4.6 | 9.0 6.5 18.4 2.5 1.8 5.1 | 10.0 7.2 20.4 2.75 2.0 5.6 | 12.0 8.6 24.5

3.0 3.25 3.5 3.75 4.0 4.25 4.5 5.0 5.5

2.2 2.3 2.5 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.2 3.6 4.0

6.1 6.6 7.1 7.7 8.2 8.7 9.2 10.2 11.2

| | | | | | | | |

14.0 16.0 18.0 20.0 22.5 25.0 27.5 30.0 35.0

10.1 11.5 13.0 14.4 16.2 18.0 19.8 21.6 25.2

28.6 32.7 36.7 40.8 45.9 51.0 56.1 61.2 71.4

(,he abo-e mm -alues are &rom the ol% C D )153>-2:)A8*-35 %ra&t. & you implement metric &ont si#es$ please make sure you get the latest -ersion o& the actual stan%ar% &rom C D.+ /gain: ,he font size re&ers to the baseline %istance &or which the &ont was %esigne%$ an% is use% to generally i%enti&y the &ont. ,he font height is the actual height o& characters such as R or k. ,he &ont height is typically >2G o& the &ont si#e as a pre&erre% -alue$ but this is o& course le&t to the %iscretion o& the &ont %esigner. "ne writes M7ourier 1.3N to get the 7ourier &ont %esigne% &or 1 mm baseline %istance (where the height o& an R is typically *.< mm or )2.2 pt+$ an% one writes M7ourier 1.3/A.3N to get the same &ont but to use it with 53G more space between the lines.

Other proposals
/uthors such as (e 5rfggin$ )A8<+ argue instea% that &ont si#es shoul% be base% on the .-height. ,his clearly has a number o& a%-antages: ,he .-height can easily be measure% %irectly in a sample printout an% is not an in-isible %imension &oun% only in &ont %ata. Vhether two &onts appear to ha-e the same height is primarily %etermine% by whether their .-heights match. ,he concept o& .-height is also present in Ireek an% 7yrillic typography. Rebrew$ /rabic an% Ce-anagari glyphs can be aligne% 'uite nicely with a Soman .-height$ too. Secommen%e% baseline %istances are o&ten relate% to the .-height (2 seems to be a -ery common &actor+$ there&ore using the .-height as a re&erence %imension will in practice o&ten also lea% to roun% measurements &or the baseline %istance. ;ossible %isa%-antages o& using the .-height as the re&erence %imension &or %enoting a &ont height might: n some applications (e.g.$ tra&&ic an% warning signs in some countries+$ te.t is commonly written uppercase only$ or consists only o& %igits$ so there are no -isible lowercase letters as a measurement re&erence. Rowe-er$ as the &onts use% in these applications usually also inclu%e lowercase characters$ there&ore the .-height is always well-%e&ine% (e.cept &or some numeric-only %isplay %e-ices such as >-segment LJCs+. 7hinese characters are more easily aligne% with the R-height o& Soman characters. Rowe-er$ as Jast /sian &onts typically also contain Soman lowercase characters$ the .height is always a well-%e&ine% 'uantity here$ too. Cra&t proposals &or an international stan%ar% on &ont si#es %rawn up in the late )A>3s were base% on the height o& capital letters an% %i% not &in% international agreement. 5oth .-height an% the si#e o& capital letters is an attribute store% in e.isting &ont &iles$ there&ore scaling &ont si#es such that the .-height or R-height matches a speci&ie% length in millimeters is 'uite tri-ial to implement on top o& e.isting &ont management mechanisms. /n i%ea that might at least be worth consi%ering is to %e&ine a series o& pre&erre% &ont si#es. ?nlike the -alues gi-en in C D )153>-2$ this coul% be a geometric series in which the 'uotient o& neighboring si#es appro.imates a root o& the s'uare root o& two. ,he international stan%ar% paper

si#es were %esigne% to be magni&ie% an% re%uce% by &actors o& s'rt(2+ or s'rt(s'rt(2++$ an% &or e.ample stan%ar% technical %rawing pen si#es &ollow the same progression. !uch a series o& stan%ar% &ont si#es coul% either be %esignate% in a millimeter length an% ma%e a-ailable -ia pull%own menus$ or it coul% be %esignate% by an in%e. number$ as is alrea%y %one &or !" paper si#es.

@etri" devi"e resolutions

nstea% o& gi-ing a reciprocal pi.el si#e in %pi$ it woul% be much more con-enient to speci&y the pi.el si#e %irectly in micrometers$ as it is also common practice in the semicon%uctor in%ustry. ,he &ollowing table shows a &ew commonly use% typesetting resolutions in both hm an% %pi: Cm )3.3 23.3 2).2 *3.3 *2.< 83.3 8*.> )33.3 253.3 25*.3 dpi 25*3 )2>3 )233 1<5 133 <)> <33 25* )32 )33 !o &ar$ phototypesetters ha-e tra%itionally use% metric resolutions (with )3 hm 9 25*3 %pi being most common one+$ while laser an% inkFet o&&ice printers currently still mostly ha-e inch-base% resolutions.

@etri" modes in layout so/tware

Vhile ?!-originate% typographic so&tware &re'uently %oes allow to switch into some sort o& metric mo%e$ these metric mo%es usually ha-e lots o& loose en%s an% were ob-iously ne-er use% in %aily work by their %e-elopers. /%%-on metric mo%es o&ten su&&er &rom bi#arre roun%ing bugs (you enter 2)3 mm an% always get ugly 23A.A32>>> mm %isplaye%$ alignments on metric gri%s %o not work out$ startup %e&aults are o&ten &i.e% to ?! units$ etc.+$ an% the metric support stops at critical %etails like the &ont or pi.el si#e$ such that in the en% metric users still ha-e to constantly con-ert between millimeters$ points$ inches$ an% )/inches. ?! %e-elopers shoul% reali#e that o-er A5G o& the worl% population grew up using the metric system an% that it is there&ore pru%ent to %esign a system to%ay &rom the -ery lowest le-el up purely in metric units. 7on-ersion to archaic units like the inch an% the -arious points shoul% only be an a%%-on &eature in the user inter&ace on top o& an un%erlying purely metric architecture$ an% not the other way roun%. "ne &ont han%ling system %esign that got things right is the V<7Os 7!!2 speci&ication. Rere$ a C D )153>-2 &ont %escription o& the &orm MRel-etica *.3/*.5N can %irectly be written as
P !ont" 4mm#4.5mm $He%&eti'($ )

/lso the !" A5*) &ont &ile &ormat uses millimeters to %enote &ont %esign si#es (see !"/ J7 A5*)):)AA)$ section 8.1.)>+.

Diterature
,he titles o& some rele-ant C D$ 5! an% !" stan%ar%s are C D )153>-)$ /usgabe: )AA8-3A$ Crucktechnik @ !chri&tgrXden$ Made un% 5egri&&e - ,eil ): 5leisat# un% -erwan%te ,echniken C D )153>-2$ /usgabe: )AAA-35$ Crucktechnik @ !chri&tgrXden @ ,eil 2: Cigitaler !at# un% -erwan%te ,echniken 5! *>81:)A>2$ !peci&ication &or metric typographic measurement (with%rawn+ !"/ J7 A5*)-):)AA)$ n&ormation technology ` 2ont in&ormation interchange ` ;art ): /rchitecture. ?n&ortunately$ the C D stan%ar%s on metric typography seems to be a-ailable at the moment only in Ierman. hope that a stan%ar%i#ation group such as !"/,7)<3 will e-entually set up a -ery

similar international gui%eline &or the use o& metric &ont si#es. 2urther literature: Jrnest Roch: nternational uni&ication o& typographic measurements. ;enrose annual$ Pol. 13$ Lun% Rumphries$ Lon%on$ )A1>$ pp. 2*-21. Jrnest Roch: ,ypographic metrication. ;enrose: international re-iew o& the graphic arts$ Pol. >3$ Dorthwoo% ;ublications$ Lon%on$ )A>>$ pp. )2<-)<5. !\amas e 5rfggin: ,ypographic measurement: a criti'ue an% a proposal. ;ro&essional ;rinter 2>$ pp. A-)*$ )A8<$ !!D 3<38-*235. (summari#e% in ,he 7ambri%ge Jncyclope%ia o& Language$ p. )A2+ :ose& Sommen: ,ypographic measures. n: "tl /icher: ,ypographie. 2. /u&l$ )A8A$ pp. 2282<A. (bilingual: Ierman/Jnglish+ 2rie%rich L. 5auer: Cer typographische ;unkt. n&ormatik !pektrum$ Pol. 22$ Do. )$ 2ebruary )AAA$ pp. *)-*2. (Ierman+ wish to thank Karlsson Kent an% :Xrg Knappen &or pro-i%ing -aluable in&ormation &or this te.t. 7omments an% suggestions &or impro-ement are always welcomeK Eou might also be intereste% in the nternational !tan%ar% ;aper !i#es Veb page. Markus Kuhn