Formats a1 a2 a3 a4. Standard paper sizes for printing - all you have to do is choose

Standard formats paper

(GOST 5773-76)

North American standard

Serie A

The largest standard size, A0, has an area of ​​one square meter and aspect ratio 1:√2. The long side of the sheet has a length of approximately 1.189 m, the length of the short side is the inverse of this value, approximately 0.841 m, the product of these two lengths gives an area of ​​1 m².

Size A1 is obtained by cutting sheet A0 along the short side into two equal parts, resulting in the same aspect ratio. This allows one standard paper size to be produced from another, which was not possible with traditional sizes. Preserving the aspect ratio also means that when scaling an image from one format to another, the proportions of the image are preserved.

Serie B

In addition to the A series of formats, there are also less common B series formats. B series sheets have the same aspect ratio as A series. Only B0 has a width of 1 m. The area of ​​B series sheets is the geometric average of the two subsequent A series sheets. For example, B1 The size is between A0 and A1, with an area of ​​0.71 m². As a result, B0 has dimensions of 1000 × 1414 mm. Series B is almost never used in the office; there are a number of special applications, for example, many posters are published in these formats, B5 is often used for books, and these formats are also used for envelopes and passports.

Series C

Series C is used for envelopes only and is defined in ISO 269. The area of ​​series C sheets is equal to the geometric average of series A and B sheets of the same number. For example, the area of ​​C4 is the geometric average of the area of ​​sheets A4 and B, with C4 slightly larger than A4, and B4 slightly larger than C4. The practical meaning of this is that an A4 sheet can be placed in a C4 envelope, and a C4 envelope can be placed in a thick B4 envelope.
C6 162 x 114 mm - the main postal envelope format of the Soviet period.

North American standard

Currently used American formats are based on traditionally used sizes, and are determined by the American national institute standards (ANSI). Most often in daily activities"Letter", "Legal" and "Ledger"/"Tabloid" formats are used. The source of the "Letter" format (8.5 × 11 inches or 216 × 279 mm) goes back to tradition and is not exactly known.
North American paper sizes are government standards in the United States and the Philippines (however, Philippine "legal" is 8.5 x 13 inches, which is different from American "legal"), and are also widely used in Canada, Mexico and some South American countries.
Unlike standard paper A4, which is a geometric subset of the range of paper sizes based on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard, the origins of the "Letter" paper sizes are lost in tradition and are not clearly documented. The American Forest and Paper Association states that the dimensions come from the days of hand-made paper, and that an 11-inch page length is a quarter of the "average maximum length the hands of an experienced worker." However, this does not explain the width or aspect ratio.

Publication formats

GOST (5773-76)

To determine the format of a book block, it is necessary to decompose the value of the sheet fraction (/16, /32, etc.) into two largest factors (16 = 4x4, 32 = 4x8), then divide the larger side of the sheet by a larger factor, the smaller side by a smaller factor .
For example: 84x108/32 => 32=4x8 => x => 21x13.5
If we now subtract 1cm from greater value, and 0.5 cm from the smaller one - we get the block format after trimming (for publications with landscape imposition, subtract 1 cm from the smaller value, and 0.5 from the larger one).

Vintage book and writing paper formats

The publication format is the size of the book block (in length and width) after three-sided trimming.
The format is determined by the type and type of publication, its volume, circulation, the nature of the illustrative material contained in it, the reader's purpose, terms of use, etc.
The term “book format” apparently arose in the era of machine production, when there was a need to unify book sizes for its mass production and commodity exchange.
The results of measurements of dozens of Russian books of the 11th-13th centuries showed that they did not have stable sizes. Format future book was chosen by the scribe based on its purpose, as well as in accordance with the tastes of the customer and by one's own desire. Altar Gospels, richly illustrated and large books (prologues, collections, etc.) were, as a rule, made big size(the height of the book block is more than 30 cm). These are, for example, the oldest handwritten books: the Ostromir Gospel (1056-1057), Izbornik Svyatoslav (1073), twelve volumes of the “Great Menaion of the Readings” (1547-1563), written on the initiative of Metropolitan Macarius, and others. Books intended for everyday use , had relatively small formats, were distinguished by the simplicity of their external and internal appearance. Example this kind of books can serve as the Archangel Gospel (1092) - a cheap book, rewritten, apparently, by order of the parish church of a peasant churchyard (format - small four).
With the beginning of the use of paper for making books, their formats were based on the size (share) of a paper sheet. However, firmly established formats there was still no paper, since they depended on the dimensions of the mesh for casting the paper sheet, which were set arbitrarily by the paper manufacturer. Over time, papermakers settled on two main sizes: the smaller one - 30x50 cm; the larger one is 50x70, which, however, was not strictly observed.
To indicate the format of Russian handwritten books, a conventional unit of measurement was used - dest (Persian dest - right hand).

DIN formats (metric)

Notes:

1. The area of ​​A0 format is 1 sq.m.

2. The “+” sign in the format designation indicates the presence of an allowance compared to standard sizes. The amount of allowance may vary.

3. For roll paper, the width corresponds to the narrow edge of the format, i.e. A1 means 594mm wide roll. The length of a standard roll for copying machines is 175 meters.

Anglo-American standards formats

Formats of other international standards.

First of all, it should be noted that the paper size is the standardized size of a paper sheet. Today, in different regions and countries of the world, there are several systems that use completely different formats. However, only two dominate positions, namely: international, using the A4 standard and related formats, and North American.

The international system of standards, using paper format A3, A4, etc., is usually based on the metric system of measures. It comes from the sheet format, which has an area of ​​1 square meter - size A0. The height and length of such paper is standard version equal to 1189 and 841 mm. respectively, and in inches this value is 46.8 and 33.1, respectively.

The international standard ISO 216, which has become widespread in many countries around the world these days, includes three series of formats. One of them is series A, the other two are B and C. The latter consists of envelope formats designed for sheets belonging to series A - the sizes in this case are approximately 7-8.5 percent larger. Next, you can familiarize yourself with the sizes of paper in several formats, in particular, you will find out the A3 size:

• So, if you have a question like “how much is a1 format?”, then you should say that the paper size of this format in mm it is 841×594, and in inches it is 33.1×23.4.
• The height and length of the A2 format are 594 and 420 mm, respectively. To convert these values ​​into more familiar centimeters, they need to be divided by 10.
• A3 paper size is 420x297 mm. This value translated into centimeters it is equal to 4.2 × 2.97 cm. If we convert it into pixels for an image density of 300 dpi, then the A3 size will be equal to 4961 × 3508 pixels.
• The A4 format, which is widely used, has a height of 297 and a length of 210 mm. Half of an A4 sheet is equal to an A5 sheet, the size of which is 210x148. To verify this, it is enough to obtain the area of ​​both sheets and compare it with each other: in the first case it is equal to 62370 mm2, and in the second – 31080 mm2. Next, divide the first value by the second and get an approximate ratio of 2 to 1, i.e. One A4 sheet can accommodate two A5 sheets.
• It should also be added that users often wonder what the 10x15 paper format is called. This sheet size is closest to the A6 format, the height of which is 148 mm and the length is 105 mm. – if you round both data values, you get approximately 10x15 cm. This type paper is ideal for printing photographs that will later be stored in a photo album.
• If you are interested in formats related to the B series, for example, paper size B2, then such a sheet has dimensions of 500 × 707 mm, which, in turn, is approximately 20 percent less more sheet A2 format.

Like all objects around us, paper has its own dimensions and dimensions. Moreover, this is not just length, width or area, these are the accepted ratios of these parameters. There is a table of sizes of paper formats, where all the information is recorded regarding a sheet of paper, which are called A2, B1 or C3. These are not just letters and numbers, they are encoding for a specific paper format.

What is format

Format is the dimensions of the paper. It replaces words such as "length", "width", "diagonal" and "area". Agree, it is much easier to ask for A4 or A3 than to name the dimensions of sheets of paper in cm. The very concept of this term appeared relatively recently - only at the beginning of the 20th century. Before this, every publishing house, and any person who dealt with a printing house, used different sizes papers that are convenient for him.

The most popular was the Golden Ratio. Painters and sculptors of the Renaissance were very fond of it; accordingly, these parameters were also used to measure sheets. This was inconvenient for the development of printing and, in general, widespread use.

In the end, more convenient size sheets was recognized as a sheet whose sides were related as a unit to square root out of two. If such a “piece” is bent in half, we will get a rectangle, the sides of which are similar to the first one, only having a smaller scale. This was the first step towards creating international standard: ISO 216 systems. But this is not the only classification of formats. There are others:

North American standard;

Japanese standard;

guest accepted in our country.

International system

ISO 216 and the North American standard are the most common. Sheet sizes A1 A2 A3 A4, etc. belong to the first system, which is common in Europe and the former Soviet republics.

The basis by which the dimensions of A-format paper are measured is Whatman paper A0 - it has an area equal to 1 m2, and all subsequent sizes are half of it.

That is, A1 is half of A0, A2 is a quarter of A0, and so on.

Printing paper is most often in A4 format - it is standard. In English speaking countries such as the UK, New Zealand and Australia, it has long become the main size business letter.

Our country had its own measurement system - according to GOST, the paper size format in cm differed from international system. The main difference is that in ISO 216 measurements are made in millimeters, while for us, centimeters are more familiar. But since we mainly use imported equipment, which is oriented to European standards, format A is the most popular among us.

Other options

Paper sizes according to international standards are divided into several series:

Everyone understands where sheet sizes A1 A2 A3 A4 are used, they are very common in Everyday life. Other series are also common, they are just not as well known.

For example, Series B is practically not used in the office, but is often used to create books, posters, envelopes or some kind of identification. B0 is somewhere between A0 and A1, and is 1 meter wide, unlike A0. But format C is used only for envelopes, and its definition can be found in the table of ISO 269 standards.

The North American standard is used in the USA, Canada and parts of Mexico. It is based on generally accepted parameters, but at the same time has slight differences: firstly, they use the inch as a unit of measurement, not mm, and accordingly, different paper sizes have a different designation from ours.

Knowledge of formats is simply necessary if you are dealing with construction, architecture or you need to carry out drawings and visual aids for other reasons.

size table

For those who are in any way connected with architecture or construction, it is necessary to understand the formats. Today, standard A4 is used only for printing text, and whatman paper is required to create various drawings or drawings. Size A2 in centimeters 21x29.7, it is ideal for sketches and small scale layouts.

What is format

Format is the size of a sheet of paper. They are the same for most of the world, and wherever you are, A2 size paper will be the same in area as in your home country.

In Europe, such standards were adopted in the mid-20th century and from there they spread throughout the world. Before this, each publishing house used its own sizes. Most often it was the “Golden Ratio”, which was so loved by painters and architects of the Renaissance, but it was not very convenient for typography.

Over time, a sheet began to be used, the sides of which were related to each other as one to the square root of two. Such a sheet, if folded in half, had the same parameters, that is, it was a smaller copy of the original “piece” of paper.

In the 20s of the 20th century it was adopted one system ISO 216, according to which the dimensions of A2 format are 210x297 millimeters. Another popular paper standard is the North American one, but marking of this system is quite rare in our country.

International standards

ISO 216 has several series of paper parameters:

Each of them is used in different areas, and adapted to the requirements of these particular industries.

The A0 format, which has an area of ​​exactly 1 m 2, is considered to be the basis, but it is used only in specific areas; people practically do not use it in everyday life. From there it is calculated what, for example, an A2 sheet should be in centimeters or millimeters. Each subsequent format is half of the previous one. That is, a sheet of size A2 in cm will be a quarter of A0.

The most popular are A4 sheets. In English-speaking countries they are accepted as the standard for business writing. In our country, this is also the size most often used.

The next most popular is A2. We have already said what size an A2 sheet is, and its diagonal is 364 millimeters and its area is 0.24948 m2. These are the sheets you can see around you every day - A2 is most often used for printing newspapers.

There are sizes larger than A0, they are used mainly in technical fields. Smaller formats such as A5 or A6 are used to create notepads, notebooks and other stationery paper.

The ISO 216 system allows for some errors in sheet dimensions. Usually they do not exceed a few millimeters.

The international measurement standard is convenient because any format can be easily converted to another.

Any image can be edited by applying the desired scale. Moreover, this can be done both manually and using technology, since almost everything that we use for printing or for submitting documents to in electronic format, is focused on the use of the European sheet measurement system.

Domestic system

In our country, A2 format sizes differ from those accepted according to GOST. But since mainly imported equipment is used, which is oriented to European standards, GOST fades into the background. The ISO 216 system is very relevant today.

Despite the fact that technology predominates in all areas of life, it cannot always perform or show what a person can do, no matter how much people improve it. For example, for people who often need to use any visual aids, it is very convenient to use A2 size Whatman paper, since they have the optimal area: large enough to show all the details, and at the same time quite compact. They are used for:

visual demonstration of any data;

demonstration of tables, diagrams;

newspaper printing.

size table

The use of paper and products made from it has become firmly established in our everyday life. But rarely does anyone think that format sizes in centimeters, inches strictly regulated special standards ( GOSTs, ISO etc.). Certain sizes of sheets of paper are used for drawings, others for printing books and booklets. And other formats are created for making envelopes. Don't believe me? Then let's plunge into the mysterious world of ordinary sheets of paper together.

Establishment of world standards

At the end of the 18th century. was done by the German physicist Lichtenberg interesting discovery, which, a century and a half later, would influence paper standards around the world. Scientist identified a unique property of a rectangle. To put it simply: we have a rectangle whose sides have a ratio equal to the root of two. When “folding” a figure in half along larger side, in the resulting rectangle the ratio of length and width remains unchanged.

This unique property existed at the beginning of the 20th century. laid as the basis by the developer of modern paper formats - Walter Porstmann. Initially the system had the name DIN 476, it unified existing standards.

From Germany the Porstmann standard began "march through Europe". Before the start of World War II, it was recognized in 8 countries (including the USSR). By 1975 it was released in ISO system and adopted as an official United Nations standard. Currently only Japan, Canada and USA they did not accept it as the main one.

World standard

The current standard is based on the principle of the metric system. It is based on a sheet of paper with an area 1 sq.m. (A0). As already noted, the length to width ratio is approximately 1/1.414 (or root 2).

Includes 3 groups with relatively similar sizes:

• A – the original (zero) sheet format has an area of ​​1 sq.m;
• B – unlike the previous one, in the zero format the smallest side size is 1 m (the proportions between the sides correspond to the “A” format);
• C – designed for envelopes under the “A” series sheet ( original dimensions increased by about 8%).

The most popular format is A4, for technical documentation - A2, less often A3.

Advanced Standard

In addition to the basic sizes, the use of extended ones is allowed. To do this, the larger side of the sheet increases several times, while the length of the smaller side remains unchanged. In this case, an increase of 2 times is practically not used. This "deviation" is used to develop drawings, for example, in architecture.

It's interesting that in USSR, despite the fact that the DIN-476 standard (which formed the basis of the world standard) was recognized at the beginning of the twentieth century, the designation of paper sizes differed from the generally accepted one. So, for example, for size “A” there was a designation of 2 numbers. This number indicated the number of times it is necessary to “unfold” the base sheet along the long (first number) and short (second) side. In this case, sheet A4 was taken as the base, which was designated by the number 11 (A3 - number 12, etc.).

US standard

The New World’s commitment to “old” traditions was also reflected in paper standards. Standards applied as basic in the USA and Canada built per unit of length - inch. They are also used as additional ones in a number of other countries in both Americas.

Standard of the Land of the Rising Sun

Japan, and this is what we are talking about, also has its own national standard. At the same time, they are not consigned to “oblivion” and “old” formats are used at the same time.

The parameters of size “A” correspond to the formats of the global classification. This is where the correspondence ends. Already the “B” series differs from the previous one not by 1.41 times, as in ISO, but by one and a half. Series "C" is missing altogether.

Paper characteristics

Having considered the history of the origin of paper and the main sizes that are used in the world in its production, it is necessary to pay attention to the issue of quality characteristics. If you think that paper just has to be white (well, colored in certain cases), you are mistaken. Please review the information below carefully.

The main items that you need to pay attention to when purchasing a pack of paper for office equipment include:

• whiteness of the canvas;
• density;
• product quality (grade).

Three important properties of paper

White

Is important property, as it allows you to evenly reflect the light flux in all directions. In this regard, the higher this indicator, the more saturated and high-quality the images on the prints will be.

To increase the indicator, during production they introduce certain chemical bleach ingredients. As well as certain dyes that neutralize yellow, which is inherent in cellulose. The percentage of whiteness is regulated by relevant standards.

Density

One more important parameter One thing you should pay attention to when choosing paper is its thickness. The value of the indicator determines the property of the product when absorbing ink. The latter should be distributed evenly over the paper, without penetrating deeply. Therefore, the sheet must have the same density over the entire surface area.

Therefore, when determining the required paper, it is necessary to take into account the existing equipment for which the paper is purchased. For laser printers do not advise high density paper used, and for jet-setters it’s the other way around.

One more an important condition, which provides the sheet density, is its resistance to bending. During the printing process, paper is exposed to so-called “feed mechanisms”. As the sheet passes through the rollers, it becomes deformed. In case of high humidity or low density, there is a high probability of curling.

Quality

This indicator affects not only the “beauty” of printed information (text, pictures, etc.), but, importantly, the durability and performance of office equipment.

Despite the fact that the sheets of paper look almost the same, you can determine its quality even with the naked eye. Paper Low quality will have heterogeneous, “granular” structure. Known fact that wood processing industry waste is used in the production of sheets. However, the higher the cellulose content in the final product, the lower the quality of the latter. The standard is the wood content in the final product from 1/5 to 1/2 volume. At a higher content, “spots” of resin will be noticeable on the paper. Repairing printing equipment after using such paper will more than cover the imaginary savings obtained from its purchase.

Paper quality categories

1 Higher (category A). Paper highest quality. Suitable for equipment from all manufacturers, including high-speed models. It has maximum whiteness and uniform density. Suitable for both single- and double-sided printing. There are no foreign impurities.

2 Standard (category B). Products in this category have increased quality indicators. Can be used on office equipment if the manufacturer does not install the latter additional restrictions to the applicable Consumables. The most convenient combination of price and quality.

3 Primary (category C). Most a budget option, which can be used for office equipment. Minimum acceptable characteristics of hardness, whiteness, etc. Suitable for printing documents with minimum requirements to quality. It is not recommended to print images on such paper.

Paper products that do not meet the specified criteria are not suitable for copying equipment. Its use, for example, for a printer, is fraught with serious damage to the latter.

Manufacturers

According to research by the German magazine "Print" the leader among manufacturers paper products is a company International Paper (USA). Her annual income is more than 29 billion dollars with the production of about 13 million tons of products. The concern confidently holds second place Stora Enso(a joint Swedish-Finnish company) – issue order 12 million tons of products per year and income of 10 billion euros. Finns take third place. UPM produces just over 10 million tons of products.

On domestic market The following paper manufacturers are represented:

Marking

When purchasing a package of paper, the buyer can find out some of the characteristics of the sheets. The manufacturer must indicate on the wrapper:

• sheet size (A3, A4, etc.);
• their quantity (usually 500 pcs.);
• paper density (from 65 to 280 grams per 1 sq. m);
• Recommendations for use - for inkjet or laser printing devices, copiers, letterpress, etc.

To avoid deterioration and paper damage, follow these simple tips:

• paper should be stored horizontally;
• optimal room temperature – 2 0 degrees, humidity should not exceed 50% ;
• exposure to direct sunlight is not advisable;
• factory packaging protects the sheets from moisture, do not store the opened pack outside the packaging;
• It is not recommended to store paper on the floor to avoid drafts and temperature changes;
• before use, paper that has been stored in a colder room, leave for several hours for “acclimatization” (in winter up to 3 days). This will allow you to maintain the “correct” structure of the sheet and avoid its deformation.

A little history of paper

Since ancient times, humanity has been looking for a material that is durable enough and easy to manufacture for writing. “Writing” does not just mean writing letters. This term was used to define the creation process important records –books containing doctrines, laws, customs. Used for writing stones, clay tablets, papyrus, birch bark. That is, those natural materials that were abundant in a given geographical area.

But most of them had their drawbacks:

• fragility;
• difficulty in processing;
• inconvenience of use and others.

According to scientists and researchers of antiquity, paper was invented in ancient China in the 1st century AD. Initially it was made from silk threads. They were cooked by adding vegetable glue. Then, using a wooden frame, the resulting substance was removed onto a smooth surface. Dried and pressed. The format of the resulting paper depended on the size of the frame used. Later, in production they began to use hemp fibers, tree bark.

Like everything valuable, the secret of paper production was stolen. And already in the second half of the 1st millennium they knew about him in Asia, Egypt, and a little later - in Europe.

Europeans continued to improve paper production technology. For example, vegetable adhesive was replaced with animal-based glue. These improvements made it possible to obtain a more durable material that did not allow the ink used in writing to pass through.

Development of paper production in Medieval Europe contributed to the partial mechanization of production. The leader in production was Netherlands. The production facilities of which were provided with paper countries of the European continent and the state of Muscovy(as Rus' was called at that time).

Practically until the beginning of the 19th century. paper was made by hand, using a method that came from China. The raw material used was rags - rags made of linen or cotton. The use of wood has already become widespread at the beginning of the 19th century. And by the end of the century, paper production would become the largest branch of industrial production, which uses advances in the field of mechanical engineering and chemistry.

Pre-war paper machine