A1 Paper Size Guide.

A1 paper dimensions.

The size of A1 paper is 594 x 841 mm or 59.4 x 84.1 cm, which is 23.4 x 33.1 inches. It’s normally used for advertising purposes, such as large posters and display banners. It can also be used in professional settings, for flipcharts and architectural drawings. 

Compared to other A series formats, a sheet of A1 paper is the same as:

• half an A0 sheet

• two A2 sheets

• four A3 sheets

• eight A4 sheets (and so on…)

• German scientist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg was the first to establish the A series paper dimensions we use today, as far back as 1786. 

• In 1922, this was then officially standardised by Dr Walter Porstmann with the DIN standard (DIN 476), which eventually gave rise to the modern ISO 216 standard.

• One of the main benefits of the A series as a whole is its easy-to-understand ratio, which preserves the proportions of the format when it is cut or folded in half. 

More specifically, all A formats are based on the principle of height = width x √2. 

For example, you can create A1 paper dimensions by halving the height of a piece of A0 paper, using its width as the new A1 height.

As for the size of A1 paper in pixels, the format varies depending on the resolution of your document in PPI (pixels per inch) and DPI (dots per inch). 

Common uses of A1 paper.

The A1 format is popular in creative sectors, particularly in display marketing and advertising. This is because its larger dimensions make it ideal for printing:

• Posters

• Prints 

• Signs 

Due to its size, A1 paper can be easily seen from a distance, while still being relatively easy to hang up on a wall or install in a board. 

Architectural and construction sectors also sometimes use A1 paper as a standard for technical documents, which need to be printed in large formats to maintain readability and proportion.

Printing A1 paper.

• To print A1 paper at a high-quality (and in one piece), you’ll need a specialist large format printer. These professional devices can produce industry-standard prints for photography, commercial printing, marketing and more. 

• If that isn’t possible, you can also print an oversized document using a standard desktop or office printer, by splitting the image across various smaller pages — which is a process called tiling. 

• Your printer settings will help to determine how many pieces of paper you require to achieve the final product. 

• Using high-quality publishing software such as Adobe InDesign can help you design your oversized A1 print ready to produce and assemble with a desktop printer. Export and print high-resolution PDF files and you can create professional-looking posters with ease. 

Frequently Asked Questions.

Is A1 a poster size? 

The A1 paper size is very slightly smaller than the standard large poster dimensions. Specifically, it is at 59.5 x 84.1 cm (23.4 x 33.1 inches), compared to the larger international poster size of 61 x 91 cm (24 x 35.8 inches) - which is the most common size for promotional and commercial posters. In everyday practice however, A1 can and does prove useful for posters and banners.   

H3: Is A1 or A4 bigger? 

A1 paper is far bigger than A4 paper. In fact, you can fit exactly eight A4 pages into a single piece of A1! The size of A1 paper is 59.5 x 84.1 cm (23.4 x 33.1 inches), whereas the size of A4 paper is 21 x 29.7 cm (8.3 x 11.7 inches). 

H3: Is A1 the biggest paper format? 

A1 paper is actually the second biggest paper format in the A series, behind A0 which is 84.1 x 118.9 cm (33.1 x 46.8 inches). Out of all the paper sizes in the ISO standard, B0 is the biggest format overall - with dimensions of 100 x 141 cm (39.4  x  55.7 inches). 

Learn more about paper sizes and graphic design.

• Paper sizes
• A2 format
• A3 format
• A4 format