A5 Paper Size: Dimensions and Printing a Compact Page
A5 is useful for compact notes and planner inserts. Its nominal size is 148 × 210 mm; it is different from US half Letter, which is 139.7 × 215.9 mm.
| Measurement | Portrait dimensions |
|---|---|
| Millimetres | 148 × 210 mm |
| Centimetres | 14.8 × 21 cm |
| Inches, calculated | 5.8268 × 8.2677 in |
| PDF points, calculated | 419.528 × 595.276 pt |
Allow room for holes before designing
Start with a 10 mm inset, giving 128 × 190 mm. If the punched edge needs another 5 mm of clearance, move that edge’s inset to 15 mm; the writing width becomes 123 mm. This is an example layout, not a hole-punch specification. Measure your binder’s hole locations and check a plain-paper sample before punching a batch.
What can change when you print
Two nominal A5 panels are 296 mm along their combined long layout dimension, whereas A4 is 297 mm tall. That 1 mm difference comes from nominal whole-millimetre sizes. Do not add a second scaling step just to remove it. Two-page imposition also needs room for the printer’s margins and any cutting gap.
Set up one sample first
- Create or inspect the PDF at the intended millimetre dimensions. Landscape swaps width and height; it does not change the paper size.
- Load matching paper, choose the correct tray and paper type, then check the application and driver settings.
- Use Actual Size for measured layouts. Use Fit only when an intentional reduction or enlargement is acceptable.
- Print one sample and measure a known reference before printing or cutting the remaining copies.
Does this paper have a pixel size?
Paper has physical dimensions. At a chosen 300 pixels per inch, a raster image covering this portrait sheet would be approximately 1,748 × 2,480 pixels. That is a calculation at one chosen resolution, not a fixed property of A5 or a guarantee of print quality. Vector text and lines work differently.
Sources and method
- ISO 216:2007: the scope of the ISO A and B series. Nominal millimetre dimensions are used; rounded inch values do not redefine the sheet.
- NIST: SI units of length: the exact conversion of one inch to 25.4 millimetres. Inch and point values below are calculated from the stated nominal dimensions.
- Adobe Acrobat: adjust page size for printing: Actual Size, Fit and the difference between the page and the printable area.