Paper Size Guide
Complete reference for paper dimensions worldwide
ISO A Series
| Name | Dimensions (mm) | Dimensions (inches) | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| A0 | 841 × 1189 | 33.11 × 46.81 | Technical drawings, posters |
| A1 | 594 × 841 | 23.39 × 33.11 | Flip charts, posters |
| A2 | 420 × 594 | 16.54 × 23.39 | Posters, diagrams |
| A3 | 297 × 420 | 11.69 × 16.54 | Tabloid, drawings, diagrams |
| A4 | 210 × 297 | 8.27 × 11.69 | Documents, letters, magazines |
| A5 | 148 × 210 | 5.83 × 8.27 | Notebooks, flyers |
| A6 | 105 × 148 | 4.13 × 5.83 | Postcards, pocket books |
North American Sizes
| Name | Dimensions (mm) | Dimensions (inches) | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | 215.9 × 279.4 | 8.50 × 11.00 | US standard documents |
| Legal | 215.9 × 355.6 | 8.50 × 14.00 | US legal documents, contracts |
| Tabloid | 279.4 × 431.8 | 11.00 × 17.00 | Newspapers, oversized documents |
ISO B Series
| Name | Dimensions (mm) | Dimensions (inches) | Common Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| B0 | 1000 × 1414 | 39.37 × 55.67 | Technical drawings, posters |
| B1 | 707 × 1000 | 27.83 × 39.37 | Flip charts, posters |
| B2 | 500 × 707 | 19.69 × 27.83 | Posters, diagrams |
| B3 | 353 × 500 | 13.90 × 19.69 | Tabloid, drawings, diagrams |
| B4 | 250 × 353 | 9.84 × 13.90 | Documents, letters, magazines |
| B5 | 176 × 250 | 6.93 × 9.84 | Notebooks, flyers |
Visual Comparison
Sizes shown to scale relative to each other.
Using Paper Sizes for Block Poster Printing
Paper size changes the whole poster workflow. It affects the printable area, the final assembled dimensions, the number of seams, and the amount of overlap you can use without wasting too much paper. A4 is common in Europe and many other regions; US Letter is common in North America; A3 and Tabloid reduce the number of seams if your printer supports larger sheets.
Choose the paper that is actually loaded in your printer and keep that choice through the entire workflow. Creating a PDF for A4 and printing it on Letter, or the reverse, can change margins and make the assembled poster smaller or larger than expected. The difference is only a few millimetres per page, but it adds up across a 4x4 or 5x5 grid.
A4 vs US Letter
A4 is taller and slightly narrower than US Letter. For portrait posters, A4 usually gives a little more height per sheet; for wide graphics, Letter can sometimes feel more natural. Neither is better by default. The right choice is the one your printer and local paper supply handle consistently.
When Larger Paper Helps
A3 and Tabloid sheets can reduce visible seams because each page covers more of the final image. They are useful for wall art, signage, and designs with large smooth backgrounds. The tradeoff is that fewer home printers support them, paper costs more, and alignment mistakes are more expensive to reprint.
- Use the same paper size in Block Poster, the PDF viewer, and the printer driver.
- Leave enough margin unless your printer is truly borderless at the selected size.
- Use 10-15 mm overlap for most posters; increase it for heavy paper or large grids.
- Print one tile first to confirm scale before printing a full multi-page poster.
How Paper Choice Affects Assembly
Plain office paper is inexpensive and easy to tape, which makes it the best choice for drafts, classroom materials, and temporary event signs. Matte photo paper gives richer colour and a cleaner wall-art finish, but it is thicker and can feed less consistently on some printers. If you switch paper type, print one tile first because the same image can dry, curl, and align differently.
For the cleanest assembly, use one paper pack for the whole poster. Mixing brands or weights can create small differences in colour, thickness, and sheet size. Those differences are minor on a single page but become visible when many pages meet in one large grid.