Resources: Paper & Envelope Sizes

Paper Sizes

In Australia we use the metric international standard ISO 216 paper sizes. Since World War Two this system has largely been adopted around the world. Each paper size is dervied from the orginal A0 sheet which is broken down in halves. So A1 is half A0, A2 is half A1 and so on until you reach A6. The most common paper size in use is A4 which is the standard size used for documents, letters and to go in printers and photocopiers.

There is also a B range of papers which was developed for when the A range wasn't suitable. The B range is sizes at the same scale as the A range but is larger. So for example B1 can be scaled larger to be A0 or smaller to be A1.

Envelope Sizes

Developed to go with the A range of papers was the range of C & B size envelopes. Again, an easy system to understand a C4 envelope fits a flat unfolded A4 sheet. A C5 envelope fits an A4 folded in half to A5 or flat A5 sheet and so on. There is also the most common size envelope, the DL, which fits an A4 sheet folded into thirds.