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What is normal paper size?

Depends where you are: A4 (210 × 297 mm) almost everywhere in the world, US Letter (216 × 279 mm) in the US and Canada. They're close — but not interchangeable.

A4most of the world
US LetterUS & Canada
6 mm / 18 mmwidth / length gap

A4 vs US Letter

SizemminchesUsed in
A4210 × 2978.27 × 11.69Nearly everywhere
US Letter215.9 × 279.48.5 × 11US, Canada, parts of Latin America
Letter is a touch wider and noticeably shorter than A4. That's why documents from abroad print with cut-off headers or odd margins: the printer squeezes one shape into the other. Fix: set the correct paper size in the print dialog, or export PDFs with "scale to fit".

Frequently asked questions

What is the normal paper size?

A4 (210 × 297 mm) in most of the world; US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) in the US and Canada.

Is A4 the same as US Letter?

No — Letter is about 6 mm wider and 18 mm shorter than A4. Close enough to confuse printers, different enough to break layouts.

What size is printer paper?

Standard printer paper is A4 outside North America and US Letter within it.