For years there’s been debate in our industry about the future of print. With the seemingly endless emergence of digital distribution platforms, many have speculated that printed media is on its way out. The truth is that there’s still a demand for printed sheets, catalogs, folders, brochures and posters, and for the paper on which all that ink is printed.

Our clients frequently ask us about the sizes for their printed collateral. While it’s usually assumed that most pieces designed for North America will trim or fold to letter size (8.5″W x 11″H) and an International piece to A4 (210 mm W x 297 mm H), there are several other standard sizes used in our industry. We’ll typically design folders or brochures with pockets to fold down to a size slightly larger than the US letter or A4 pieces placed within them so that those internal sheets or brochures don’t jut out the top or sides (but that’s a story for a future post on folds and folders).

For now, feel free to DOWNLOAD OUR HANDY REFERENCE PDF showing several standard North American and International sheet sizes for print (by the way, the pdf is designed on a letter-sized page). Page 2 has tables with a complete list of North American loose, ANSI, and International ISO “A” size sheets for printing. We hope you find it helpful when planning your next project, or when that next trade show spec sheet indicates that you need a 4A0 poster for the exhibit hall.