Size A5. What are the dimensions of DIN A5?

The A5 size is one of the most used formats in the printing world, knowing the different formats used in printing is important to choose the one that best suits our project.

In this article we show you all the details you need to know about the A5 size to get the best results in your work when you choose this format.

What do the A5 sheets look like?

The A5 is part of a set or range of page sizes, called the ISO A or ISO 216 standard. This international standard is based on the German DIN 476 standard of 1922. In reality, A5 is often referred to as DIN A5. The Japanese have adopted the same range of paper sizes in their JIS P 0138-61 standard.

By folding an A5 in two on the shorter side, an A6 document is created. Two A5 pages side by side on a sheet equals A4 paper size. This creates a range of paper sizes from A0 (which has a surface area of one square meter) to A10. The height/width ratio is kept constant (1:1.41 or the square root of 2) for all sizes. Dimensions are always rounded to the nearest millimeter.

We describe below the different measurements for A5 size sheets, both in millimeters, inches, pixels and other units of measurement that you may find useful when working with A5.

A5 size in centimeters

The dimensions of A5 in centimeters are 14.8 cm x 21.0 cm

Here’s a small table with the A5 format in different units of measurement, in case you might find them useful

A5 size in pixels

To print an image correctly, it must have a minimum resolution. The number of pixels depends on the required output quality.

• At 300 dpi (pixels per inch) the image must be 1748 x 2480 pixels. This is the resolution required for quality offset printing that will be viewed at close range (such as books, brochures, magazines, calendars,…). For photo books, this is also the optimal resolution, but a somewhat lower pixel count (250 dpi) is acceptable for high-quality photographs.
• At 150 dpi, the image should be 874 x 1240 pixels. This is the minimum resolution for newspapers or posters viewed from a fairly close distance.

A digital camera with decent image quality and a resolution of 4 megapixels or more can be used to print high quality A5-size photographs.

We leave you a table about the different pixel sizes of A5 size. The pixel measurements to use will depend on the type of work you are going to do, whether it is for printing a poster, a billboard or if it is simply an image for a web page.

DIN A5 in pixels for low resolutions

This resolution type is used for A5 size web images and basic print jobs such as flyers, postcards, books and the like.

Size in pixels	72 PPI	96 PPI	150 PPI	300 PPI
A5	420×595 px	559 x 794 px	874 x 1240 px	1748 x 2480

A5 in pixels for medium resolutions

Size in pixels	600 PPI	720 PPI	1200 PPI
A5	2480 x 3508 px	4195 x 5953 px	6992 x 9921 px

A5 in pixels per inch for high resolutions

Size in pixels	1440 PPI	2400 PPI	2880 PPI
A5	8391 x 11906 px	13985 x 19843 px	16781 x 23811 px

A5 size in inches, Thou, feet and yards

In the following table we show you the DIN A5 size expressed in different units of measurement especially used in English-speaking countries such as the United States or the United Kingdom, among many others.

The Thou is a unit of measurement of length that is equivalent to one-thousandth of an inch.

Unit of measure	Thou	Pulgadas	Pies	Yardas
Tamaño A5	5827 x 8268 thou	5.8 x 8.3 Pulgadas	0.486 x 0.689 pies	0.162 x 0.230 yd

A5 format in point unit, HPGL AND pica

The printing world also uses different types of measurements such as typographic units and plotters, pica units or HPGL.

Unit of measure	Puntos	Picas	HPGL
Tamaño A5	420×595	35p0 × 49p7 Picas	5920 x 8400 hp

Frequently asked questions about A5 size

On which products is DIN A5 typically used

The A5 size is often used in different printing products such as:

• Brochures or flyers
• Books, catalogs and magazines
• Booklets
• Booklets
• Small size posters
• Postcards

Which size is larger DIN A5 or A6 size

The A5 is larger than the A6. By folding an A5 size sheet in half we get two sheets in DIN A6 format.

To give you a rough idea of the different sheet sizes, remember that A0 is the largest size format, then A1, followed by A2 and so on.

The double and half rule is also very useful, for example, one A3 sheet equals two A4 sheets or one size A4 sheet equals two A5 sheets.

Why is it important to know the measurements of A5 format

When designing or printing a product in A5 size, it is very important to know precisely the exact measurements, to avoid surprises with the final result.

If you want to know in detail the most used formats in printing other than A5, take a look at our articles on sizes and measurements, where we describe the most used sizes in the printing world, their characteristics and their main uses.