Print sizes: dimensions in mm, cm and pixels

What size is A5 in cm? How big is a DL flyer? How many pixels does an A2 poster need? This guide answers the questions that come up before almost every order, with exact dimensions in millimetres and centimetres, pixel sizes at 300 dpi, typical uses and the matching products.

Most printed matter follows the A series of the ISO 216 standard. It starts with A0, a sheet of 841 × 1189 mm, roughly one square metre. Each smaller size is made by halving the long side of the previous one: one A4 gives two A5 sheets, one A2 gives two A3 sheets. The aspect ratio always stays at 1 : √2, or about 1 : 1.414.

This is handier than it sounds: a design created in A5 can be enlarged to A4, or an A2 to A0, without distortion, and an A4 sheet folded once becomes a four-page A5 card. To find out which paper suits which size, see our overview of paper types and materials; terms such as bleed, paper weight or fold are explained in the printing glossary.

A sizes at a glance: dimensions in mm, cm and pixels

The table shows the sizes from A0 to A8 in portrait, width first, then height. For landscape, simply swap them: an A5 landscape measures 21 × 14.8 cm. The pixel values apply to 300 dpi at the finished size, without bleed.

Size	mm	cm	Pixels at 300 dpi	Typical uses
A0	841 × 1189	84.1 × 118.9	9933 × 14043	Large poster for halls, foyers and outdoor areas
A1	594 × 841	59.4 × 84.1	7016 × 9933	Trade fair stand, concert or theatre poster
A2	420 × 594	42 × 59.4	4961 × 7016	Poster for entrances, notice boards or shop windows
A3	297 × 420	29.7 × 42	3508 × 4961	Notice, small poster, large menu
A4	210 × 297	21 × 29.7	2480 × 3508	Letterhead, price list, brochure, menu
A5	148 × 210	14.8 × 21	1748 × 2480	Promotional flyer, invitation, programme, brochure
A6	105 × 148	10.5 × 14.8	1240 × 1748	Postcard, handout, voucher, appointment card
A7	74 × 105	7.4 × 10.5	874 × 1240	Mini flyer, admission ticket, coupon
A8	52 × 74	5.2 × 7.4	614 × 874	Smallest flyer, parcel insert, small card at the till

In short: A5 size is 14.8 × 21 cm, which is 148 × 210 mm or 1748 × 2480 pixels at 300 dpi. A4 measures 21 × 29.7 cm, which is 210 × 297 mm or 2480 × 3508 pixels.

You will find these sizes across many of our products: Classic Flyers from A8 to A3, postcards in DIN formats from A7 to A3, classic letter paper in A6, A5 and A4, the offset-printed brochure in A6, A5 and A4, the two larger sizes also in landscape, and posters in digital and offset printing from A4 to A0, from a single copy.

DL size: dimensions and long formats

DL, known as DIN lang in German, is not part of the A series but is derived from it: an A4 sheet folded twice in parallel gives three panels of almost exactly this size. That is why it fits the envelope of the same name, such as our self-adhesive envelopes in DL size. The other long formats are made by halving an A size lengthways: A5 long is an A4 cut in half lengthways, A6 long an A5 cut in half lengthways.

Size	mm	cm	Pixels at 300 dpi	Typical uses
DL	98 × 210	9.8 × 21	1157 × 2480	Flyer, letter paper, appointment card, daily menu
DL plus (DL brochure)	105 × 210	10.5 × 21	1240 × 2480	Brochure in DL format, slightly wider flyer
A5 long	105 × 297	10.5 × 29.7	1240 × 3508	Tall, narrow flyer, wine or bar menu
A6 long	74 × 210	7.4 × 21	874 × 2480	Slim flyer, event programme
A7 long	52 × 148	5.2 × 14.8	614 × 1748	Mini flyer, bookmark, coupon

Classic Flyers are available in all five long formats. A word of caution: two different sizes are called DL. Flyers, postcards, letter paper and appointment cards in DL measure 9.8 × 21 cm, whereas a DL brochure measures 10.5 × 21 cm; for flyers, this size is called DL plus. If you are planning a flyer and a brochure with the same design, prepare two separate files, otherwise the brochure will be missing a few millimetres of background at the sides.

Typical uses:

• Daily or drinks menu: takes up little room on the table; see our menus.
• Appointment card: for medical practices, physiotherapists and hair salons, in DL or A6.
• Three-panel leaflet: the roll-fold leaflet with a closed DL size, giving you six pages for your offer, team and contact details.

Square, round and special shapes

Among all those rectangles, a square or round format stands out straight away, for example for invitations, cultural programmes, fashion or restaurants. The three standard squares:

Size	mm	cm	Pixels at 300 dpi	Typical uses
Square 9.8	98 × 98	9.8 × 9.8	1157 × 1157	Small flyer, card to go with a gift
Square 14.8	148 × 148	14.8 × 14.8	1748 × 1748	Invitation, postcard, letter paper
Square XL	210 × 210	21 × 21	2480 × 2480	Brochure, lookbook, large flyer

Classic Flyers come in all three squares, in 13 × 15 cm, round with a diameter of 9.5 or 14 cm, and oval at 9.5 × 14.5 cm. There are also die-cut special shapes: heart, star, tree, gift and figure. At the end of the year, the star, tree and gift work well for season's greetings and invitations to the company dinner. Round and oval flyers are also available separately: Flyers, round/oval.

Postcards also go beyond the DIN sizes: square postcards, round or oval postcards and special-shape postcards (star, heart or gift). The offset-printed brochure comes in Square XL, the classic letter paper in a 14.8 × 14.8 cm square. If no standard size fits, order flyers in your desired format or, for a free outline, free-form flyers.

Business cards: the standard size in Switzerland

The standard business card size in Switzerland is 8.5 × 5.5 cm, a familiar format that fits standard card holders. With our Classic business cards, you can also choose 9 × 5 cm, the 5.5 × 5.5 cm square and the narrow 7 × 3 and 3 × 7 cm formats, in portrait or landscape.

Size	mm	cm	Pixels at 300 dpi	Typical uses
Swiss business card	85 × 55	8.5 × 5.5	1004 × 650	The standard for companies, practices and the self-employed
Business card 9 × 5	90 × 50	9 × 5	1063 × 591	Slightly longer and slimmer, with a modern look
Square business card	55 × 55	5.5 × 5.5	650 × 650	Eye-catching, for creatives, cafés and shops

The narrow 7 × 3 and 3 × 7 cm formats are unusual, which makes them memorable; they work for short details such as a name, website and QR code. If you need more room for opening hours or appointments, choose folded business cards; for a size of your own, there are business cards in your desired format. All variants are in the business cards category, with design tips in our guide How to Design a Business Card People Actually Keep.

Posters and large formats

With posters, reading distance decides the size. An A3 in a shop window is read up close, an A1 at a trade fair stand has to work from a few steps away, and a poster on a billboard site is seen in passing or from the tram. The main large formats:

Size	mm	cm	Pixels at 300 dpi	Typical uses
A2	420 × 594	42 × 59.4	4961 × 7016	Entrances, schools, notice boards
A1	594 × 841	59.4 × 84.1	7016 × 9933	Trade fair stands, foyers, concert posters
A0	841 × 1189	84.1 × 118.9	9933 × 14043	Halls, large walls, visibility from a distance
Poster 50 × 70	500 × 700	50 × 70	5906 × 8268	Frames, wall decoration, cultural posters
Poster 70 × 100	700 × 1000	70 × 100	8268 × 11811	Events, shop windows, trade fairs
F4 world format (Weltformat)	895 × 1280	89.5 × 128	10571 × 15118	Billboard sites in Switzerland, outdoor advertising

Our posters in digital and offset printing come in all these sizes, plus 100 × 140 cm, 118.5 × 175 cm, A2 long (29.7 × 84 cm), A1 long (42 × 118.8 cm) and a 17 × 59 cm poster strip, pasted on to announce ‘sold out’ or ‘new date’. The F4 world format is widespread on billboard sites in Switzerland; if you are renting a space, check the size and paper with the operator first. For other sizes, there are posters in custom format.

On resolution: a large poster is viewed from a distance, so the usable resolution is lower than the 300 dpi in the table. The right value is given in the poster's print template, and logos and text in vector format stay sharp at any size. Which size suits which location, and which paper holds up outdoors, is covered in our guide Poster Formats A2, A1 and A0. All variants are in the posters category.

Roll-ups and displays

A roll-up goes up in a few moves and is the classic choice for trade fairs, receptions, events and shop windows. The Roll-Up Classic, system incl. print comes in six sizes:

• 85 × 200 cm: compact, for stands, reception desks and entrances.
• 100 × 200 cm: extra width for logo, image and message.
• 150 × 200 cm: almost a small back wall, on a stand or as a photo backdrop.
• 60 × 200 cm: slim, for alcoves, corridors or next to a door.
• 85 × 133 cm and 85 × 65 cm: low versions for counters, tables or shop windows.

Place your logo and key message at eye level, as the lower part of a roll-up is often hidden by tables or visitors. As with large posters, the usable resolution is below 300 dpi; if you have questions about your file, get in touch via our contact page. More models are in the roll-ups category, and a full checklist in our guide Preparing for a Trade Fair.

Preparing your file in the right size

The size you select in the configurator is the finished size, after trimming. Your file should be slightly larger so that no white edges appear. Four points matter:

1. Bleed: backgrounds and images that run to the edge must extend beyond the finished size. The exact bleed is given on the product's print template.
2. Safety margin: keep text, logos and QR codes a few millimetres away from the trim edge.
3. 300 dpi at final size: for a custom size, divide the width in cm by 2.54 and multiply by 300 to get the pixels you need. An image enlarged in the layout loses resolution.
4. CMYK rather than RGB: printing uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black. Create your file in CMYK to avoid colour surprises.

Check the orientation too: if you choose portrait or landscape, your file must match. The easiest way is to start from a print template: for 17 products, including flyers, posters and postcards, templates in German and French can be downloaded from the product page. For other products, and for fonts and PDF export, read our guide How to Prepare Print Files. Every print file is checked before production. If you do not have a print-ready file, our design service prepares one in the right size from CHF 29.

Which size for which use?

• Promotional flyer: A6 for a short message such as a discount or an opening, A5 for a strong image and more text, with Classic Flyers. More advice in our guide Choosing Flyer Format and Paper.
• Menu: A4 for the full menu, DL for the daily or wine menu, for example as single-sheet menus.
• Invitation to a wedding, birthday or company event: A6 or the 14.8 × 14.8 cm square, as a folded card: classic greeting and invitation cards.
• Appointment card for a practice or salon: DL or A6: appointment cards.
• Concert poster: A2 or A1 indoors; to stand out, choose posters on neon paper.
• Letterhead: A4 for quotes and correspondence: classic letter paper.
• Product brochure or catalogue: A4 for plenty of detail, A5 for a handy catalogue, Square XL for a lookbook: offset-printed brochure.
• Overview of your services: a three-panel leaflet with a closed DL size: roll-fold leaflets.

Want to hold a size in your hand before ordering? Ask us for samples. The price in CHF, including 8.1% Swiss VAT, appears instantly in the configurator, and we deliver throughout Switzerland: shipping costs CHF 7.00 per order and is free from CHF 100. For large quantities, see our large-volume orders page; for special requests, request a quote.

Frequently asked questions

What size is A5 in cm?

A5 measures 14.8 × 21 cm, or 148 × 210 mm. At 300 dpi, an image covering the whole area needs 1748 × 2480 pixels, without bleed. A5 is exactly half of A4. With us, flyers, brochures, invitations and menus are all available in A5.

What is the difference between DL and A5?

Both are 21 cm tall, but A5 is 14.8 cm wide and DL only 9.8 cm. DL is slimmer, fits a DL envelope and suits leaflets, daily menus and appointment cards. A5 offers more space for images and text, but needs a larger envelope. Note that a DL brochure measures 10.5 × 21 cm.

What resolution does my print file need?

For flyers, cards and brochures: 300 dpi at final size, so 2480 × 3508 pixels for A4. Large posters and roll-ups, seen from a distance, need less: the value to follow is given in the poster's print template, or you can ask us via our contact page. Logos and text in vector format stay sharp at any size.