Letter Paper Size
US Letter is 8.5 by 11 inches, which is 215.9 by 279.4 mm. The tool above opens on Letter drawn to scale against A4, the sheet most of the world uses instead, because that is the comparison that catches people out: neither fits inside the other. The table below gives Letter in millimetres, centimetres, inches and pixels at 72, 150 and 300 dpi, in both portrait and landscape.
- Letter · 215.9 × 279.4 mm
- A4 · 210 × 297 mm
Letter is 5.9 mm wider and 17.6 mm shorter than A4.
- The default sheet in the US, Canada and Mexico.
- Also called ANSI A, US Letter.
- A4 is 5.9 mm narrower and 17.6 mm taller.
The A series, A0 to A10
Every size below A0 is the one above it halved across the long side, rounded down to the whole millimetre. That is the rule ISO 216 states, and it is the rule these numbers come from.
| Size | Millimetres | Inches | Pixels at 300 dpi | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 841 × 1189 | 33.11 × 46.81 | 9933 × 14043 | The base sheet the whole A series is halved from. | |
| 594 × 841 | 23.39 × 33.11 | 7016 × 9933 | Large posters and flip charts. | |
| 420 × 594 | 16.54 × 23.39 | 4961 × 7016 | Medium posters and technical drawings. | |
| 297 × 420 | 11.69 × 16.54 | 3508 × 4961 | Charts, spreads and oversized printouts. | |
| 210 × 297 | 8.27 × 11.69 | 2480 × 3508 | The standard document sheet almost everywhere. | |
| 148 × 210 | 5.83 × 8.27 | 1748 × 2480 | Notebooks, flyers and folded A4 leaflets. | |
| 105 × 148 | 4.13 × 5.83 | 1240 × 1748 | Postcards, index cards and small flyers. | |
| 74 × 105 | 2.91 × 4.13 | 874 × 1240 | Pocket notes and small tickets. | |
| 52 × 74 | 2.05 × 2.91 | 614 × 874 | Small labels and card-sized cuts. | |
| 37 × 52 | 1.46 × 2.05 | 437 × 614 | Tiny labels and tags. | |
| 26 × 37 | 1.02 × 1.46 | 307 × 437 | The smallest A cut, used for stamps and labels. |
North American sizes
Defined in inches, so the millimetres are the conversion and the pixel counts are exact whole numbers at every DPI.
| Size | Millimetres | Inches | Pixels at 300 dpi | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 215.9 × 279.4 | 8.5 × 11 | 2550 × 3300 | The default sheet in the US, Canada and Mexico. | |
| 215.9 × 355.6 | 8.5 × 14 | 2550 × 4200 | US contracts and legal pads, three inches longer. | |
| 279.4 × 431.8 | 11 × 17 | 3300 × 5100 | US newspapers, spreads and two-up Letter. | |
| 184.15 × 266.7 | 7.25 × 10.5 | 2175 × 3150 | US letterheads and memos, just under Letter. | |
| 139.7 × 215.9 | 5.5 × 8.5 | 1650 × 2550 | US notepads, planners and half-sheet handouts. | |
| 127 × 203.2 | 5 × 8 | 1500 × 2400 | Small US legal pads. | |
| 203.2 × 266.7 | 8 × 10.5 | 2400 × 3150 | US school and government notepads. | |
| 431.8 × 558.8 | 17 × 22 | 5100 × 6600 | Engineering drawings, four Letter sheets. | |
| 558.8 × 863.6 | 22 × 34 | 6600 × 10200 | Engineering drawings, eight Letter sheets. | |
| 863.6 × 1117.6 | 34 × 44 | 10200 × 13200 | Engineering drawings, sixteen Letter sheets. |
US Letter in every unit
Computed from the defining dimensions, 8.5 by 11 inches. Millimetres and centimetres are the conversion at 25.4 mm to the inch; each pixel figure is the sheet in inches multiplied by that dpi and rounded to the whole pixel, which for Letter needs no rounding at any of the three. Landscape is the same sheet turned. Printer margins are not part of a paper size and are not included.
| Measurement | Portrait | Landscape |
|---|---|---|
| Millimetres | 215.9 × 279.4 mm | 279.4 × 215.9 mm |
| Centimetres | 21.59 × 27.94 cm | 27.94 × 21.59 cm |
| Inches | 8.5 × 11 in | 11 × 8.5 in |
| Pixels at 72 dpi | 612 × 792 px | 792 × 612 px |
| Pixels at 150 dpi | 1275 × 1650 px | 1650 × 1275 px |
| Pixels at 300 dpi | 2550 × 3300 px | 3300 × 2550 px |
Common questions
- What size is letter paper?
- 8.5 by 11 inches, or 215.9 by 279.4 mm. Inches are the defining dimensions: Letter is stated in inches, so every millimetre figure on this page is the conversion at 25.4 mm to the inch rather than a second published number.
- Is Letter the same as A4?
- No, and the difference is the awkward kind. Letter is 5.9 mm wider and 17.6 mm shorter than A4, so neither sheet fits inside the other: Letter is the wider one and A4 is the taller one. A document laid out for one reflows on the other, usually as a lost line at the foot of a page or a blank page at the end. Set the page size in the document rather than scaling at the printer, and the reflow happens once, where you can see it.
- How many pixels is a Letter page?
- 2550 by 3300 at 300 dpi, 1275 by 1650 at 150 dpi and 612 by 792 at 72 dpi, in portrait. Because Letter is defined in inches, every one of those is a whole number with nothing rounded away: 8.5 inches at 300 dpi is exactly 2550 pixels.
- Is Letter also called ANSI A?
- Yes. Letter, US Letter and ANSI A are the same sheet. ANSI A is the base of the American engineering series, where each size up is the previous one doubled: ANSI B is Tabloid at 11 by 17 inches, then ANSI C, D and E. The Size list above has all of them.
- What is the aspect ratio of Letter?
- 1 to 1.294, or 17:22 in whole numbers. It is not the 1 to root 2 of the ISO sizes, which is why halving a Letter sheet does not give a smaller sheet of the same shape: it gives Half Letter at 5.5 by 8.5 inches, a squarer sheet.
Dimensions follow ISO 216 and the ANSI/ASME standards exactly; pixel sizes are dimensions times the DPI named. Printers add their own margins, which are not part of a paper size.