STANDARD SIZES FOR PRINTED PRODUCTS - Guide to Designers

While we have discussed the importance and criteria for selection of Printers/Print professionals in our previous Posts, lets us find out standard sizes for printed products like Flyers, Leaflets, Newspaper inserts, a single fold Catalogue or multiple page Booklets.

Sizes chosen must be economical in the first place as this will lead to cost control while printing the same. Most popular sizes for Flyers/Leaflets are: A5 (210 mm x 148.5 mm) and increases to A4 (297 mm x 210 mm). 

The other standard sizes like 280 mm x 210 mm, 228 mm x 177 mm and so on. Generally the sizes chosen are the sub-division of standard paper sizes and most popular among the available sizes are: 584 mm x 914 mm, 762 mm x 1016 and 635 mm x 914 mm.

The sizes should not be too big for a standard catalogue, flyer, leaflet or booklet as the receiver should find it convenient to hold and go through it comfortably. If the sizes are ab-normal or unusual, deviating from the regular sizes, it leads to cost escalation for the Client. Even if a designer wants to go for a size that is not a usual one, to be different from the run of the mill look, he/she can still go for a size which could be a 1/6th or 1/3rd of the full sheet size of the paper. Choosing such a size gives him an edge over the regular size/look and still will be economical for the Client when it comes to printing the same. The booklets referred to here, are with an assumption of around 48-52 pages totally. If the content is more and runs into more pages, then the finish of the booklet will have to be a section sewn one. The sections of 8/12/16 pages are put together and held together at the back and bound with the hard case cover that will enable the text pages to open flat. On the other hand, up to 48/52 text pages are usually centre pinned and the pages towards the centre will have less margin on the cutting side (left & right).

Similarly sizes for Posters of consumer durable products are from A3 (420 mm x 297 mm), 482 mm x 355 mm, 558 mm x 431 mm, 736 mm x 482 mm, 889 mm x 558 mm and 990 mm x 736 mm. These are some of the usual sizes of Posters for printing by offset process. Point of sale Danglers are varied in nature in their designs as they may be of single or two-piece or even 3-piece, held together by a string. But still the pieces of the danglers could be suitable sub-divisions of the open sheet size.

 Hope the details shared above gives a fair idea to some of the designers who are not well versed with standard sizes of papers and printing processes. Please feel free to share your comments/thoughts in this post in the comments area below. For our services in the industry, please login to http://www.kiranprintproduction.com/