A4 size in inches
A4 is 8.27 × 11.69 inches (210 × 297 mm) — taller and narrower than US Letter's 8.5 × 11.
8.27 inwidth
11.69 inheight
210×297mm
Paper sizes to scale
Every outline is drawn to true relative scale. The dashed blue outline is US Letter.
| Size | Inches | mm |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 8.27 × 11.69 | 210 × 297 |
| US Letter | 8.5 × 11 | 216 × 279 |
A4 is 0.23 in narrower but 0.69 in taller than Letter — enough to cut off the bottom of an A4 document printed on Letter paper. Set the right size in your print dialog.
A4 versus US Letter in inches
| Format | Inches | Millimetres |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 8.27 × 11.69 in | 210 × 297 mm |
| US Letter | 8.5 × 11 in | 216 × 279 mm |
| US Legal | 8.5 × 14 in | 216 × 356 mm |
| A3 | 11.69 × 16.54 in | 297 × 420 mm |
| A5 | 5.83 × 8.27 in | 148 × 210 mm |
Why A4 has awkward inch values
A4 is defined in millimetres, not inches — 210 × 297 mm exactly. Converting gives 8.27 × 11.69 inches, which is why the numbers never land on neat fractions. US Letter is the opposite: it was defined in inches (8.5 × 11) and converts to the untidy 216 × 279 mm.
The practical consequence: A4 is about a quarter inch narrower but two thirds of an inch taller than Letter. Printing an A4 document on Letter paper without scaling clips roughly 0.7 inches from the bottom. In your print dialog, "Fit to page" or "Scale to fit" solves it — but check the margins afterwards, since scaling shrinks everything including the text.
Frequently asked questions
What is A4 in inches?
8.27 × 11.69 inches (210 × 297 mm).
Is A4 the same as 8.5 x 11?
No — that's US Letter. A4 is 8.27 × 11.69 in, narrower and taller.