# Paper size

DIN EN ISO 216
title Writing paper and certain groups of printed matter - Final formats - A and B rows and marking of the machine direction
Brief description: ISO paper sizes
Latest edition 2007-12
ISO 216
DIN 476-2
Area Paper and paper products for computing, office and school
title Final paper sizes - C series
Brief description: no
Latest edition 2008-02
ISO -
Paper formats A0 to A8, display model in the Science Museum in Barcelona : “The invasion of the square roots”, scale 1∶1

Standardized values ​​for the width and height of sheets of paper - their paper format - were first specified by the German Institute for Standardization (DIN) on August 18, 1922 in the DIN standard DIN 476 . The ratio between width and height is the same for all sheet sizes, namely

${\ displaystyle 1: {\ sqrt {2}} \ ,.}$

Only with this ratio does the next smaller sheet that is created by folding it in the middle over the long side remains geometrically similar to the original sheet .

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg specified this aspect ratio as early as 1786, and it was also used during the French Revolution . After that it was forgotten again for a long time, but was taken up again in 1910 by Wilhelm Ostwald and then distributed by Walter Porstmann and implemented as a DIN standard in 1922.

With its specifications for the A and B series, the German standard served as the basis for the European or international equivalent EN ISO 216 , which in turn has been adapted in almost all countries. There are mostly only differences in the permitted tolerances. As a purely national standard, DIN 476-2: 2008-02 final paper formats - C series is still valid.

## history

Comparison of different formats scaled to the same width
3: 4   (quart format)
1: √2 (DIN format)
2: 3   (octave format)

Historically, there have been many different paper formats in circulation. These were always derived from the sheet format of the respective manufacturer. So-called quarto formats (i.e. a quarter of the bow, produced by dividing twice) or octave formats (analogously, one eighth of the bow) were then common. There was no standardization. In particular, the page proportions also differed from today's standard formats during this period. The usual format was 3∶4. If you fold such a sheet, you get a sheet with the proportions 2∶3, with a second fold again one with pages 3 usw.4, etc. So the quarto format usually had a format of 3∶4, the octave format of 2∶3.

Various aesthetic properties and suitability for specific purposes have been ascribed to these formats. The quarto format 34 was regarded as soft and friendly, the narrower octave format 2 als3 as more severe. When used as a book format , the larger and wider quarto format was preferred for bound books that are placed on a table. The more manageable format 2∶3, on the other hand, is suitable for books that you hold in your hand. Even today paperbacks typically have a narrow format close to the 2-3 aspect ratio.

At the beginning of the 20th century, dissatisfaction with this multitude of formats grew. It was impractical in many places. The German chemist Wilhelm Ostwald developed the so-called world format to save space in libraries by standardizing book sizes. The construction was based on the requirement for geometric similarity (i.e. the aspect ratio of all sizes should be identical) and the output from the smallest format I, the short side of which should measure 1 cm. The transition between the sizes takes place as usual by halving or doubling the pages. This format could not prevail because of the incompatibility with existing formats. Ostwald's assistant, the engineer Walter Porstmann, was more successful . As an employee of the standards committee of German industry , he developed DIN 476, the formats of the A to D series, which are still valid except for the D series. This was introduced in Germany in 1923. The only difference to the world format was the starting point for the absolute size. As usual, this forms the largest format, e.g. B. A0. Its area was determined, at A0 exactly one square meter. These normal formats quickly caught on internationally, with the exception of a few countries such as the USA and Canada, where they are not common.

It was argued against its introduction, for example, that although standardization is desirable, the advantage of the constant aspect ratio remains unclear. If you pay attention to the direction of the paper, two different sheets would be necessary as a starting point anyway. If only one sheet is output, the direction of the fibers would be wrong for every second format. The aspect ratio (1 ∶ 1.414) itself was z. Sometimes perceived as unaesthetic, as a “hybrid format” between the formats 2∶3 and 3∶4 described above. The absolute size of the normal formats also appeared to be arbitrary. It is not determined on the basis of the utility formats A4 and A5, but on the condition that the sheet A0 should have an area of ​​one square meter. It is more of a coincidence that useful sizes are created when folded several times. A disadvantage arises e.g. B. also from the fact that the height of the A4 format protrudes 17 mm over the US letter format, which is uncomfortable when filing in North American folders. This criticism has not changed the spread of these formats for writing paper. In the course of the increased implementation of copy technology applications in everyday life, the constant aspect ratio has proven to be advantageous, since it allows enlargements or reductions without distortion and with proportionally constant margins. However, several old aspect ratios have been preserved in the books. ${\ displaystyle 1: {\ sqrt {2}}}$

## Aspect ratio 1∶√2

The aspect ratio of the paper format series A, B and C standardized in DIN 476 results from the specification that it should remain constant when the next smaller size is derived by halving the longer side (height ) to the new shorter side (width ): or . . Solving one of the equations gives and thus finally the constant factor . ${\ displaystyle h_ {i}}$${\ displaystyle b_ {i + 1}}$${\ displaystyle {\ frac {h_ {i}} {b_ {i}}} = {\ frac {h_ {i + 1} = b_ {i}} {b_ {i + 1} = {\ frac {1} {2}} h_ {i}}}}$${\ displaystyle {\ frac {h_ {i}} {b_ {i}}} = {\ frac {h_ {i-1} = 2b_ {i}} {b_ {i-1} = h_ {i}}} }$${\ displaystyle h_ {i} ^ {2} = 2b_ {i} ^ {2}}$${\ displaystyle {\ frac {h_ {i}} {b_ {i}}} = {\ sqrt {2}} \ approx 1 {,} 414, \ forall i \ in \ mathbb {N}}$

## ISO and DIN paper formats

### Overview

Allocating an arc of the series A .
The formats (classes 1 to 8, ...) result from halving the previous format.

There are four rows (A and B according to ISO and DIN, C and the original D according to DIN), each of which is divided into eleven classes, which are numbered from 0 to 10 in descending order.

Class 0 formats
format Area in m²
B0 2 1/2- = 1.414
C0 2 1/4- = 1.189
A0 2 0−0 / = 1,000
D0 2 −1/4 = 0.841

The combination of these two properties results in the usual designation, e.g. B. A4 ( 210 × 297 mm ) or C6 ( 114 × 162 mm ), both highlighted in bold as an example in the table , "DIN" or "ISO" may be prefixed.

Both DIN and ISO standards list the formats that are larger than class 0. These are preceded by a numeric prefix, e.g. B. 2A0 for double A0. They are included in the table of the “ Main series of trimmed sizes (ISO-A series) ” with the comment “ The rarely used sizes [2A0 and 4A0] which follow also belong to this series ” .

The size of the formats is specified in whole millimeters. The tolerance is ± 1.5 mm for dimensions up to 150 mm, ± 2 mm for dimensions up to 600 mm and above ± 3 mm.

Dimensions of rows A to D ( mm × mm )
class Row A Row B Row C Row D designation
4… 0 1682 × 2378
2… 0 1189 × 1682 1414 × 2000
… 0 0841 × 1189 1000 × 1414 917 × 1297 771 × 1091 Quadruple sheet
…1 0594 × 0841 0707 × 1000 648 × 0917 545 × 0771 Double arch
… 2 0420 × 0594 0500 × 0707 458 × 0648 385 × 0545 arc
… 3 0297 × 0420 0353 × 0500 324 × 0458 272 × 0385 Half arch
… 4 0210 × 0297 0250 × 0353 229 × 0324 192 × 0272 Quarter sheet (e.g. A4)
… 5 0148 × 0210 0176 × 0250 162 × 0229 136 × 0192 Sheet , eighth-note bow, octave format
… 6 0105 × 0148 0125 × 0176 114 × 0162 096 × 0136 Half sheet (e.g. C6)
… 7 0074 × 0105 0088 × 0125 081 × 0114 068 × 0096 Quarter sheet
…8th 0052 × 0074 0062 × 0088 057 × 0081 Eighth leaf
… 9 0037 × 0052 0044 × 0062 040 × 0057
... 10 0026 × 0037 0031 × 0044 028 × 0040

The nominal area of ​​an A0 arc is one square meter , but the rounding of the side lengths to whole millimeters means that the real areas in the A-row deviate from one square meter or whole fractions. The same is true for whole multiples of √2 for the other series. Because of the permitted length tolerances, the real surfaces can deviate even further.

Nominal areas of rows A to D (m 2 )
class Row A Row B Row C Row D
4… 0 4 = 2 2
2… 0 2 = 2 1 2√2 = 2
… 0 1 = 2 0 √2 = √√2 = 2 ¼ 1√√2 = 2 −¼
…1 12 = 2 −1 √22 = 2 −½ √√22 = 2 −¾ 12√√2 = 2 −1¼
… 2 14 = 2 −2 √24 = 2 −1½ √√24 = 2 −1¾ 14√√2 = 2 −2¼
… 3 18 = 2 −3 √28 = 2 −2½ √√28 = 2 −2¾ 18√√2 = 2 −3¼
… 4 116 = 2 −4 √216 = 2 −3½ √√216 = 2 −3¾ 116√√2 = 2 −4¼
… 5 132 = 2 −5 √232 = 2 −4½ √√232 = 2 −4¾ 132√√2 = 2 −5¼
… 6 164 = 2 −6 √264 = 2 −5½ √√264 = 2 −5¾ 164√√2 = 2 −6¼
… 7 1128 = 2 −7 √2128 = 2 −6½ √√2128 = 2 −6¾ 1128√√2 = 2 −7¼
…8th 1256 = 2 −8 √2256 = 2 −7½ √√2256 = 2 −7¾
… 9 1512 = 2 −9 √2512 = 2 −8½ √√2512 = 2 −8¾
... 10 11024 = 2 −10 √21024 = 2 −9½ √√21024 = 2 −9¾
Real areas of rows A to D (mm 2 )
class Row A Row B Row C Row D
4… 0 3,999,796
2… 0 1,999,898 2,828,000
… 0 999,949 1,414,000 1,189,349 841.161
…1 499,554 707,000 594.216 420.195
… 2 249,480 353,500 296.784 209.825
… 3 124,740 176,500 148.392 104,720
… 4 62,370 88,250 74,196 52,224
… 5 31,080 44,000 37,098 26,112
… 6 15,540 22,000 18,468 13,056
… 7 7,770 11,000 9.234 6,528
…8th 3,848 5,456 4,617
… 9 1.924 2,728 2,280
... 10 962 1,364 1,120

### Applications

For content in A format, an envelope of the corresponding C format is typically chosen, which in turn fits into an envelope in the B row. The maximum dimensions of letters in postal traffic are based on the B series.

A0, A1 Technical drawings , sea ​​/ maps , printed sheets , posting timetables , posters , film posters , election posters Flip charts , wrapping paper, film posters, timetables, calendars , newspapers , master craftsman's certificate , technical drawings Drawings, diagrams , large tables, calendars, cards, movie posters, technical drawings Newspapers, notes , cards Stationery , forms , notebooks , magazines , technical drawings, printer paper Notepads, exercise books , brochures DVD cases Index cards , rarely also A4 and A9 Flyers , postcards , paperbacks , transfer slips , notebooks Books ( book format ) Leaflets , pocket diaries , identity card (ID ‐ 2) Passport (ID ‐ 3) Playing cards , business cards , labels Envelopes

### Derived formats

#### Strip formats, envelopes

Strip formats derived from the A row by division
designation Dimensions ( mm × mm ) Aspect ratio comment
14 A3 105 × 297 2√2∶1
13 A4 099 × 210 32 √2∶1
14 A4 074 × 210 2√2∶1
18 A4 037 × 210 4√2∶1
13 A5 070 × 148 32 √2∶1
16 DIN (standard) 198 × 210 34 √2∶1 actually " 23 A4"
16 DIN (practice) 200 × 210 1.05∶1
Other sizes for envelopes
designation Dimensions ( mm × mm ) Aspect ratio comment
DL ( DIN long ) 110 × 220 2∶1 see. 13 A4
C6 / C5 114 × 229 2∶1 short side of C6 with long side of C5,
slightly larger than DL, holds a larger number of sheets

#### JIS-B series

Comparison of the DIN / ISO and the JIS-B series
format Dimensions ( mm × mm ) Area (mm²)
DIN / ISO JIS DIN / ISO JIS
B0 1000 × 1414 1030 × 1456 1,414,000 1,499,680
B1 0707 × 1000 0728 × 1030 707,000 749.840
B2 0500 × 0707 0515 × 0728 353,500 374.920
B3 0353 × 0500 0364 × 0515 176,500 187,460
B4 0250 × 0353 0257 × 0364 88,250 93,548
B5 0176 × 0250 0182 × 0257 44,000 46,774
B6 0125 × 0176 0128 × 0182 22,000 23,296
B7 0088 × 0125 0091 × 0128 11,000 11,648
B8 0062 × 0088 0064 × 0091 5,456 5,824
B9 0044 × 0062 0045 × 0064 2,728 2,880
B10 0031 × 0044 0032 × 0045 1,364 1,440

The Japanese standard JIS P 0138-61 adopts the A and C series from ISO and DIN, but defines a slightly different B series: JIS B0 has an area of ​​1.5 m², the arithmetic and non- geometric mean of the areas of A0 and 2A0, widths and heights are determined in the same way as A and rounded accordingly.

The origin of the Japanese B-series lies in the fact that this format should be compatible with the Shiroku-ban already used, with its dimensions of 127 × 188 mm , which in turn had its origin in the officially used Mino-ban format of the Edo period . The Shiroku-ban became almost identical to the new JIS B6.

#### Raw formats

ISO / DIN series RA and SRA, DIN 5457 series for trimmed A_T, character area A_Z and untrimmed A_U
(in millimeters)
class RA SRA AT A_Z A_U
0 860 × 1220 900 × 1280 841 × 1189 821 × 1159 880 × 1230
1 610 × 0860 640 × 0900 594 × 0841 574 × 0811 625 × 0880
2 430 × 0610 450 × 0640 420 × 594 400 × 0564 450 × 0625
3 305 × 0430 320 × 0450 297 × 0420 277 × 0390 330 × 0450
4th 215 × 0305 225 × 0320 210 × 0297 190 × 0267 240 × 0330

Since losses occur during trimming and folding, the RA and SRA raw formats were created (ISO 217). The R stands for "raw format", S for "secondary". In principle , RA0 has an area of ​​1.05 m², SRA0 1.15 m², but width and height are rounded to half a centimeter.

##### Special formats for laser and inkjet printing

Under the unofficial name A4 + (A4 plus) there is also an oversize format based on the DIN A4 format that is used in inkjet and laser printers . It is offered specifically to end customers by printer manufacturers and paper suppliers. Due to the lack of standardization of this oversize format, the formats differ slightly. Some A4-based formats have a uniform bleed of three millimeters per side ( 216 × 303 mm ) and, in some cases, corresponding tear-off edges. Some (American) providers also specify the A4 + format with the dimension 9½ × 13 in ( inch ) ( 241 × 330 mm ), which practically corresponds to the untrimmed A4U ( 240 × 330 mm ) sheet format from ISO 5457 for technical drawings .

In the photographic and printed advertising in accordance exist that also non-normalized oversize A3 + (A3 plus) , also under Super A3 or Super B known. The dimensions are usually chosen so that an A3 page can be printed out borderless on a printer from the paper manufacturer.

For the class of 17 ″ printers (usually referred to as A2 printers) there is an oversize format A2 + ( 432 × 648 mm with the usual 2: 3 aspect ratio for photos). This format is aimed at users who want to use the full width or flatness of their printer.

In the 36 "printer class , an oversize format ( 917 × 1189 mm ) called I / A0 or A0 big is sometimes used, which combines the height of an A0 sheet with a width of approx. 36.1 inches .

### Remarks

• Contrary to popular belief, the aspect ratio of the DIN formats does not correspond to the golden ratio , which is 1: 1.618 (DIN ratio 1: 1.414).
• That the (1: √2) form is not only the right one for the task at hand, but also has "something pleasant and excellent over the ordinary", is a statement made by the physicist and aphorist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg in 1786 .
• The DIN 476 was anticipated during the French Revolution . Paper formats existed with exactly the dimensions of this standard.
• The weight of the paper is usually given as weight per square meter in order to obtain a format-independent information. Due to the simple aspect ratios, the mass of a standard A4 sheet of 80 g / m² is calculated too precisely
${\ displaystyle 80 \, {\ frac {\ text {g}} {{\ text {m}} ^ {2}}} \ cdot {\ frac {1} {2 ^ {4}}} \, {\ text {m}} ^ {2} = 80 \, {\ frac {\ text {g}} {{\ text {m}} ^ {2}}} \ cdot {\ frac {1} {16}} \ , {\ text {m}} ^ {2} = 5 \, {\ text {g}}}$.
• The paper volume : The volume of a paper shows the ratio of its thickness (mm) to the paper weight (g / m²). Paper can be made of different thicknesses with the same weight. Paper with a larger volume is more "handy". Starting from “normal volume” 1, the volumes increase in ¼ steps. 90g paper with volume 2 is twice as thick as 90g paper with volume 1.
• When enlarging and reducing with a photocopier , the change in length and not the area must be specified: the next larger or next smaller format results from a scaling factor of 141% (√2) or 71% (√½), while 200% and 50% each skip one format .

## Formats for special applications

In addition, there were and are of course other systems, for example with newspapers . Some old systems have survived, at least in part, to this day.

### Machine formats

There is an industry standard for processing in printing machines that includes the following maximum paper sizes.

Machine formats
Format
class
Dimensions ( mm × mm ) designation
00 0350 × 0500 Small format
01 0460 × 0640
0b 0520 × 0720 Half format
1 0560 × 0830
2c 0640 × 0910
2 0610 × 0860
3 0650 × 0960
3b 0720 × 1020 Medium format
4th 0780 × 1120
5 0890 × 1260
6th 1020 × 1420
7th 1120 × 1620
7b 1200 × 1620 Large format
8th 1300 × 1850
9 1500 × 2050 Super large format
10 1620 × 2240

### Packaging sheet

In the packaging area , formats are used that are derived from the bale format ( 75 × 100 cm ). These formats are not limited to sheets of paper, but are also used for other cuts, e.g. B. film used. A subsequent format is created by halving the long side.

Packaging sheet
Identifier Common name Dimensions ( mm × mm ) Usage examples
1/1 Whole sheet 0750 × 1000 Packaging papers, stuffing paper
1/2 Half arch 500 × 750 Bread tissue paper, bakery papers
1/4 Quarter arch 375 × 500 Fresh keeping paper in
butchers, cheese factories
1/8 Eighth bow 250 × 375
1/16 Sixteenth-note arch 180 × 250
1/32 Thirty-second arch 125 × 180 Intermediate layers, e.g. B. with sausage,
cheese, confectionery products
1/64 Sixty-fourth arc 090 × 125

### Scheduling systems

With schedule systems (calendar and schedule ring binders), other formats are common, which have different names and perforations depending on the manufacturer. For example:

Scheduling systems
Surname company Dimensions
mm × mm in × in
WT tempus. 86 × 145
monarch Franklin- Covey 216 × 279 8 12 × 11
Desk fax Filofax 176 × 250
Classic Franklin-Covey 140 × 216 5 12 × 8 12
Compact Franklin-Covey 108 × 171 4 14 × 6 34
Time / System 85 × 169
Pocket Time / System 100 × 172
Franklin-Covey 89 × 152 3 12 × 6
Filofax 81 × 120
Midi Chronoplan 96 × 172
Personal, slimline Filofax 95 × 171
Mini Chronoplan 79 × 125
Filofax 67 × 105
partner Time / System 75 × 130
M2 Filofax 64 × 103

### Sheet music printing

Note print formats
Format class Dimensions
( mm × mm )
Large score 420 × 680
300 × 420
300 × 400
285 × 400
300 × 390
290 × 350
Quart format 270 × 340
Bach format 240 × 325
N4 231 × 303
octavo 170 × 270
Study score 170 × 240
Salon orchestra 190 × 290
Vocal score 190 × 270
Parisian format 190 × 272
Piano format 235 × 310
Grand March 135 × 190
March format 135 × 170

### Library catalogs

The international library format 75 × 125 mm is common for index cards in library catalogs .

## Formats in other countries

### North America

The US sizes include the “Letter” format (ANSI A) for letters. By doubling it, the next larger format is created, alternating in the aspect ratios of around 1: 1.29 (ANSI A, C, E) and 1: 1.55 (ANSI B, D).

Letter format : Countries that primarily use A4 (blue) or letter (red) format

The paper formats common in North America do not follow a uniform pattern.

The US sizes A to E come from the ANSI / ASME Y14.1 standard. They originally have inch dimensions ( in for inch ). Other sizes are specified in ANSI X3.151-1987.

The Canadian sizes P1 – P6 from the CAN 2-9.60M standard are specified in millimeters and rounded to half a centimeter (except for P6). They approximately correspond to their inch counterparts. Its importance is also rather minor in Canada itself.

Both the North American ANSI series and the Canadian sizes do not have the advantages of the constant √2 ratio of the DIN series. With any starting ratio, this only reappears after every second fold. The alternating ratios are about 1.29 and 1.55. In addition to the USA and Canada, the letter format under the Spanish name "Carta" is also widespread in Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico) as well as in Mexico, Chile, Venezuela and Colombia. also in the Philippines.

Common North American paper sizes
Surname ANSI ( in × in ) ( mm × mm ) CAN mm × mm
P6 107 × 140
Invoice 5 12 × 8 12 140 × 216 P5 140 × 215
Executive 7 14 × 10 12 184 × 267
Legal 8 12 × 14 216 × 356
Letter A. 8 12 × 11 216 × 279 P4 215 × 280
Ledger, tabloid B. 11 × 17 279 × 432 P3 280 × 430
Broadsheet C. 17 × 22 432 × 559 P2 430 × 560
D. 22 × 34 559 × 864 P1 560 × 860
E. 34 × 44 864 × 1118
F. 28 × 40 711 × 1016

The millimeter information in this table has been rounded to the nearest millimeter, as an exact conversion of the original inch values ​​would result in a decimal place in many cases: For example, converting 22 ″ to millimeters by multiplying it by 25.4 results in exactly 558 , 8 mm and not 559 mm as specified in the table, which results in a difference of 0.2 mm between the exact conversion value and the rounded value in the table. This difference is important when, for example, software programs load PDF documents and are supposed to recognize the standard format of the loaded document. The software program must then take this possible rounding tolerance into account in order to be able to reliably recognize standard formats within these tolerances.

The letter format with 8 12 × 11 inches ( 216 × 279 mm ) is of particular importance here , as this also reaches Europe through correspondence. The sheet is about 6 mm wider and 18 mm shorter and, with an area of ​​602.7 cm², slightly smaller than the A4 sheet with 625 cm². The common sectional area of ​​Letter / A or P4 and A4 is within the tolerance limits 21 × 28 cm and happens to have an aspect ratio of 3∶4 (diagonal 35 cm, area 588 cm²); this size is sometimes used as an international exchange or compromise format.

European users occasionally encounter the US letter format when it is set as the default for the print format in American software or through such printed or electronic documents (e.g. PDF ). The card slots in tank bags for motorcycles are also often designed for US letters.

North American architectural and engineering paper formats
Surname Ing. Arch. Ing. Arch.
in × in mm × mm
A. 8 12 × 11 9 × 12 0216 × 279 229 × 305
B. 11 × 17 12 × 18 0279 × 432 305 × 457
C. 17 × 22 18 × 24 0432 × 559 457 × 610
D. 22 × 34 24 × 36 0559 × 864 610 × 914
E. 34 × 44 36 × 48 0864 × 1118 914 × 1219
F. 44 × 68 1118 × 1727

### China

Chinese paper sizes
Surname format Dimensions in mm
Kai ( , kāi ) 1 764 × 1064
2 532 × 760
4th 380 × 528
8th 260 × 370
16 185 × 260
32 130 × 185
32 large 140 × 203

### Japan

In Japan, in addition to the A-series and the Japanese B-series , the following formats are also used:

Surname Dimensions in mm
Sango-ban ( 三五 判 ) 084 × 97
Shinsho-ban ( 新書 判 ) 103 × 182
Ko-B6-ban ( 小 B6 判 ) 112 × 174
Kiku-ban ( 菊 判 ) 150 × 220
Shiroku-ban ( 四六 判 ) 127 × 188
Jūbako-ban ( 重 箱 判 ) 182 × 206
AB-ban ( AB 判 )
Wide-ban ( ワ イ ド 判 , Waido-ban )
210 × 257

The Japanese postcard format Hagaki is sometimes used by color printers.

Surname Dimensions in mm
Hagaki 0100 × 148
Hagaki 2 (folding card) 0200 × 148

The uncut sheets of paper have the following sizes according to JIS P 0202:

Surname Dimensions in mm
A ‐ retsu homban ( A 列 本 判 ) 0625 × 0880
Kiku-ban ( 菊 判 ) 0636 × 0939
B ‐ retsu homban ( B 列 本 判 ) 0765 × 1085
Shiroku-ban ( 四六 判 ) 0788 × 1091
Hatoron-ban ( ハ ト ロ ン 判 ) 0900 × 1200
not in JIS P 0202
AB-ban ( AB 判 ) 0880 × 1085

From a sheet Kiku-ban be 4 × 4 sheets from a sheet Shiroku-ban cut 4 × 8 leaves. Sango-ban becomes A-retsu homban ; Jūbako-ban , Shinsho-ban , and Ko-B6-ban ("small B6") cut from B-retsu homban .

In the Edo period , the Tokugawa Shogunate government used a paper format called Mino-ban ( 美濃 判 ), which was 13 sun × 9 sun ( 394 × 273 ). With the modernization of the country in the Meiji period , sheets in the untrimmed British crown format of 787 × 1092 were used, which were then cut into four sheets twice in the mino-ban . Since 8 sheets of paper were made in Mino-ban from such sheets , these sheets were called Daiyatsu-ban ( 大 八 つ 判 , "large 8-piece paper format"). Later these sheets were cut into 32 sheets of 103 × 182 each , which were also first called Daiyatsu-ban . In the traditional length specification, this corresponded to approximately 4 (pronounced shi ) sun × 6 (pronounced roku ) sun , which is why the format was soon called Shiroku-ban . The same applies to the term Sango-ban , as its approximate size is 3 ( san ) sun × 5 ( go ) sun .

The Kiku-ban goes back to American uncut sheets of paper of this size. A trading company is said to have sold these under the brand name Dahlia ( Dahlia ). Back then, this flower was called Natsugiku ( 夏 菊 , literally: "Summer Chrysanthemum ") in Japanese , which is said to have been shortened to Kiku (in Japanese, an earlier initial consonant can be voiced in word combinations: k → g). Another variant is that kiku is an abbreviation for newspaper ( 新聞 , shimbun ), since the second character can also be read as kiku .

AB-ban got its name from the use of the width of A4 as the width and the width of JIS B4 as the height.

The term Hatoron ( ハ ト ロ ン ) in Hatoron-ban is an abbreviation of German " Patronenpapier ", written in Japanese as パ ト ロ ー ネ ン パ ピ ア ー ( Patorōnenpapiā ), although in the past the diacritical signs - here the circle ( handakuten ) over - were written.

## Historical formats

In places, e.g. For example, in libraries , formats from the 19th century are still in use today. Some values ​​have changed by more than an inch over time.

### Historical European formats

historical paper formats
designation Dimensions in mm
Octave 142.5 × 225
quart 225 × 285
Folio 210 × 330
letter 270 × 420
Law firm , double portfolio 330 × 420
Propatria 340 × 430
Great Patria 360 × 430
bishop 380 x 480
Register, lions 400 × 500
Median I. 420 × 530
Median 440 × 560
post Office 460 × 560
Median II 460 × 590
Little Royal 480 × 640
Royal 480 × 650
Dictionary 500 × 650
Super royal 500 × 680
Imperial 570 × 780
Olifant 675 × 1082

### Historic British-American formats

Unsystematic historical North American paper formats
Surname in × in mm × mm
post Office 15 12 × 19 14 394 × 489
Large post 16 12 × 21 419 × 533
Elephant 23 × 28 584 × 711
medium 18 × 23 457 × 584
Crown 15 × 20 381 × 508
Double Crown 20 × 30 508 × 762
Royal 20 × 25 508 × 635
Quarto 8 × 10 203 × 254
Foolscap 8 × 13 203 × 330
Demy 17 12 × 22 12 445 × 572
Double demy 22 12 × 35 572 × 889
Quad Demy 35 × 45 889 × 1143
Dollar bill 2 916 × 6 076 × 178

## Others

Since 1990 , the landscape format with 220 × 120 mm (+ half the spiral width) has largely established itself as the format for bike tour books with spiral binding to turn the pages. It fits in the lid pockets of many handlebar bags that also fit racing handlebars, as well as upright in (large) inside jacket pockets. Folded hiking maps have similarly large portrait formats with fan-folds . Exact, large street maps and city maps are intended for less windy surroundings and are therefore often higher, i.e. 11–12 × 25–27 cm . Plans with 10 × 16 cm and smaller are easy to chest and handbag.

Check cards as well as many other plastic and cardboard cards, such as telephone cards or business cards, measure ID ‐ 1 86 × 54 mm in accordance with ISO 7810 .

Punch cards with 187 × 83 mm were used in electronic data processing for data input and output until around 1985. They were occasionally used as an invoice or payment slip with a print.

The grammage of a sheet of paper in A4 format can be precisely determined by weighing 16 sheets, because A4 paper is one sixteenth of A 0, which is exactly one square meter.

In the paper and printing industry, the direction of stretching indicates whether a sheet of paper is cut lengthways or crossways from a paper web. The dimension in the stretching direction is underlined (e.g. 70  × 100 cm ). The stretching direction runs transversely to the running direction , because in the headbox in the paper machine the fibers are aligned in the longitudinal direction by the movement of the sieve and pulp stretches (swells) more in thickness than in length when moisture is absorbed.

## literature

• German Institute for Standardization V. (Ed.): DIN EN ISO 216: 2007-12 - Writing paper and certain groups of printed matter - Final formats - A and B rows and marking of the machine direction (ISO 216: 2007); German version EN ISO 216: 2007. Beuth-Verlag, Berlin 2007.
• Fritz Ullmann: Encyclopedia of technical chemistry. Volume 8, Urban & Schwarzenberg, 1920, p. 681. (Historical European formats).

## Individual evidence

1. WDR Zeitzeichen , August 18, 2012.
2. ^ A b Walter Porstmann : DIN Book 1: Normformate , Beuth-Verlag , 1930, p. 157.
3. 1798: “Loi sur le Timbre” Official Journal of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
4. The different rows of paper differ in the area of the original sheets.
5. Jan Tschichold: Pleasing printed matter through good typography. Augsburg 2001, p. 111.
6. Jan Tschichold: Arbitrary proportions of the book page and the type area. In: Selected essays on questions of the form of the book and typography. Basel 1975, p. 45 f.
7. Markus Kohm: Type area constructions in comparison. (PDF; 417 kB), also as archiv.dante.de , p. 37.
8. ^ Wilhelm Ostwald: The world formats: I. For printed matter . Seybold, Ansbach 1911.
9. din.de: DIN formats .
10. ^ Reichsbahndirektion in Mainz (ed.): Official Gazette of the Reichsbahndirektion in Mainz of October 13, 1923, No. 30. Announcement No. 586, pp. 401f.
11. a b Jan Tschichold: Arbitrary proportions of the book page and the type area. In: Selected essays on questions of the form of the book and typography. Basel 1975, p. 50.
12. Jan Tschichold: Pleasing printed matter through good typography. Augsburg 2001, pp. 112-115.
13. a b c 本 の 判 型 . In: ま つ や ま 書房 web. Matsuyama Shobo, accessed November 12, 2010 (Japanese).
14. ^ Letter from Georg Christoph Lichtenberg to Johann Beckmann of October 25, 1786. In: Georg Christoph Lichtenberg: Briefwechsel. Volume 3: 1785-1792. CH Beck, Munich 1990, ISBN 3-406-30958-5 .
15. Helmut Kipphan (Ed.): Handbuch der Printmedien. 1st edition. Springer, Heidelberg 2000, ISBN 3-540-66941-8 , p. 347.
16. a b c d store.franklinplanner.com , accessed November 10, 2011.
17. a b c filofax.de ( Memento from March 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on February 23, 2014.
18. With any output format, two relationships are generally repeated alternately, and their product is always 2 (e.g. 1.29 × 1.55 ≈ 2).
19. ^ Territory Information. CLDR version 31.0.1. In: Unicode Common Locale Data Repository. The Unicode Consortium, April 6, 2017, accessed August 19, 2017 .
20. a b c 本 の サ イ ズ （判 型） と 本 の 種類 - 印刷 物 の 規格 に つ い て . KK Daiichi Insatsu ("Daiichi-Druckerei"), archived from the original on May 6, 2015 ; Retrieved November 12, 2010 (Japanese).
21. a b 原紙 の サ イ ズ - 印刷 物 の 規格 に つ い て . KK Daiichi Insatsu ("Daiichi Printing House"), archived from the original on April 18, 2015 ; Retrieved November 12, 2010 (Japanese).