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Printing guide
A4 paper size: inches, mm and pixels
A4 paper is 210 by 297 millimeters, which is 8.27 by 11.69 inches. At 300 dpi, the resolution used for print, an A4 page is 2,480 by 3,508 pixels. A4 is the standard office paper size in most of the world. In the US and Canada, the standard is Letter, 8.5 by 11 inches.
A4 size chart
Every A4 number in the units a design program or printer driver asks for.
| Millimeters | 210 x 297 mm |
|---|---|
| Centimeters | 21 x 29.7 cm |
| Inches | 8.27 x 11.69 in |
| Pixels at 300 dpi | 2,480 x 3,508 px (print) |
| Pixels at 150 dpi | 1,240 x 1,754 px |
| Pixels at 72 dpi | 595 x 842 px (screen, and PDF points) |
| Aspect ratio | 1 to 1.414 (1 to the square root of 2) |
A4 vs US Letter
A4 is narrower and taller than US Letter. Letter is 8.5 by 11 inches, or 215.9 by 279.4 mm. A4 is about 6 mm narrower and about 18 mm taller. A document built for one and printed on the other gets scaled, cropped, or left with an uneven margin at the bottom.
If you are printing in the US, the safest move is to set the document to Letter before you design. If the file has to stay A4, for a client overseas or a form that must match, tell the print shop. It can print A4 on a larger sheet and trim it down, or scale it to fit Letter, and the proof shows which one you get.
The full A series
The A sizes all share the same shape. Each size is nominally half of the one before it, cut across the long side, with the millimeters rounded. A0 is about one square meter, and A4 is A0 halved four times.
| A0 | 841 x 1,189 mm, 33.1 x 46.8 in |
|---|---|
| A1 | 594 x 841 mm, 23.4 x 33.1 in |
| A2 | 420 x 594 mm, 16.5 x 23.4 in |
| A3 | 297 x 420 mm, 11.7 x 16.5 in |
| A4 | 210 x 297 mm, 8.27 x 11.69 in |
| A5 | 148 x 210 mm, 5.83 x 8.27 in |
| A6 | 105 x 148 mm, 4.13 x 5.83 in |
What A4 is used for
A4 is the default for letters, forms, reports and flyers in most countries outside North America. Folding an A4 sheet in half gives A5, a common booklet and flyer size. Folding it in thirds fits a DL envelope, the international business envelope.
Setting up an A4 file for print
Set the page to 210 by 297 mm. If any color or photo runs to the edge, add 3 mm of bleed on every side, which makes the file 216 by 303 mm. Keep text at least 3 mm inside the trim line. Export a PDF with the bleed included.
At The Printing House in Encino, every file gets checked before it prints, including page size, and you get a PDF proof before anything runs.
Quick answers
People also ask
8.27 by 11.69 inches, which is 210 by 297 millimeters.
No. 8.5 by 11 inches is US Letter. A4 is about a quarter inch narrower and about three quarters of an inch taller.
2,480 by 3,508 pixels at 300 dpi for print, or 595 by 842 at 72 dpi for screen.
A4 is taller and Letter is wider. Their areas are close, with A4 slightly larger.
Yes. It can print A4 on a larger sheet and trim it, or scale the file to Letter. Ask before the job runs.