Size A0 paper is a large printing format, defined by the international standard ISO 216 in 1975.
A0 sized paper has an area of nearly 1m² - 0.999949 m² to be precise. These days, it is a popular paper size for professionals in a variety of different industries, from publishing to construction.
Discover the dimensions, the primary characteristics and the different uses of this paper format below.
The A0 paper size is 841 mm x 1189 mm, 84.1 cm x 118.9 cm or 33.1 inches x 46.8 inches. Due to its large size, A0 is often popular for outdoor promotions, banners and displays.
One sheet of size A0 paper is the same as:
The A1 paper size is created by splitting A0 paper in half and using the width of the A0 as the height of the new A1 sheet.
Probably the most well-known paper format, the A series is made up of 10 sub-groups that range from paper size A0, the largest on the scale, to A10, the smallest.
The German scientist Lichtenberg first described the proportions between the width and height of A series sizes in 1786. However, it was not until 1922 that this √2 aspect ratio was taken up by Porstmann and the German standard DIN 476.
While most of us probably know and use A4 paper on a more regular basis, sheets of A0 size paper are also important for a variety of different purposes, including:
A0 is most commonly used in reprography or print shops and is also generally helpful for technical design. That’s because it allows the proportions of a large-scale project to be more easily taken in by the naked eye.
Printing on A0 paper is also quite common in advertising and marketing, as its large dimensions allow for an eye-catching poster or display to promote an upcoming event or product release.
A0 posters being used for publicity
Large format printers known as ‘plotters’ are typically used to print technical documents in A0 format. With high-performance equipment, the results can produce excellent quality in both black & white and full colour.
However, in order to print an image on A0 paper, it must generally be 841 mm x 1189 mm in 150 dpi (dots per inch) or 300 ppi (pixels per inch). Bear in mind you also tend to require a 3 mm bleed margin all around the document so it can be cut after printing, without cutting into the image.
To make these adjustments and create documents in paper size A0, you can use DTP (desktop publishing) software such as Adobe InDesign. That will easily allow you to add bleed margins to your designs, so when you print them out they will look exactly as you envisaged.
You could print A0 posters with A4 if you use 16 sheets of A4 and join them together.
To do so in Adobe Reader, you first need to convert the image into a PDF file:
Then, you must split your image into multiple pages:
Based on your location, we think you may prefer the United States website, where you'll get regional content, offerings, and pricing.
