A2 Paper Size — 420 × 594 mm and Inches

A2 paper size is 420 × 594 millimeters. In inches, rounded to two decimals, that is 16.54 × 23.39. The millimeters are the ISO 216 size. The inches are 420 and 594 divided by 25.4.

A2 is a poster and drawing sheet. It is two A3 sheets, or four A4 sheets, with nothing left over. That halving rule is the whole of the A series, set out in Markus Kuhn’s notes on ISO 216 (International standard paper sizes). Office documents do not belong here. They belong on A4 Paper Size.

A2 dimensions

Unit	Width	Height
Millimeters	420	594
Centimeters	42.0	59.4
Inches (rounded)	16.54	23.39

Portrait is 420 mm wide. Landscape is 594 mm wide. A landscape poster is still A2. Say the orientation in the file name so the printer does not rotate a title that was meant to be read sideways.

In points the sheet is about 1191 × 1684 pt. Quote millimeters on the job ticket.

A2, A1, and A0

The searches a2 size, a1 size, and a0 size are the large end of the same series. A1 is twice A2. A0 is twice A1, and it is the area reference for the whole system: one square meter, rounded to the nearest millimeter.

Size	Millimeters	Inches (rounded)	Area relative to A2
A0	841 × 1189	33.11 × 46.81	Four A2 sheets
A1	594 × 841	23.39 × 33.11	Two A2 sheets
A2	420 × 594	16.54 × 23.39	The reference on this page
A3	297 × 420	11.69 × 16.54	Half of A2

A2 vs A3 is the same decision as A3 versus A4, one step up. A3 is in A3 Paper Size. If the drawing is legible on A3 at the scale you chose, do not jump to A2. The larger sheet costs more to print, ship, and pin up, and it does not add information.

A1 is the usual size for a presentation board or a competition poster that must be read from a few steps away. A0 is a wall sheet. Both are defined above so you do not need a separate hunt for the millimeters. Smaller A sizes (A5, A6, and anything below) are cuts of A4, covered on the A4 page, not large-format stock.

Using A2 without a surprise at the printer

Desktop printers rarely take 420 mm. A2 is a large-format or a digital-press size. Before you finish the file, ask three things:

1. Does the shop stock A2, or do they print on a roll and cut to 420 × 594?
2. What bleed do they want outside the trim? A common request is 3 mm. Trim stays 420 × 594. Bleed is extra.
3. Can they fold it to A3 or A4 for mailing? Folding once, parallel to the short side, yields A3. Folding again yields A4. A fold through a face or a title is a design error, not a printer error.

Scale is the other trap. A floor plan drawn at 1:50 on A2 becomes a different drawing at 1:100 on A3. Write the scale on the sheet. Do not let “fit to page” invent a new one.

Resolution follows the viewing distance. A page someone holds, such as A4, is often exported at 300 pixels per inch. A poster read from a step away is often fine at 150 pixels per inch. At 150 ppi, 420 × 594 mm is about 2480 × 3508 pixels (420 ÷ 25.4 × 150, and the same for 594). Exporting that poster at 300 ppi quadruples the file and does not make it sharper at the distance people stand. Write the ppi next to the millimeter size so the raster and the trim describe one job.

US shops may offer 18 × 24 inches (457.2 × 609.6 mm) instead of A2. That sheet is larger than A2 in both directions. It is not a substitute you can scale at the last minute without moving the border. If the quote says 18 × 24, design for 18 × 24.

Roll printers add another mismatch. A 24-inch roll is 609.6 mm wide, which can hold the 594 mm side of A2 with room to spare. A 17-inch roll cannot. The spare width is not part of the poster. Tell the operator the cut is 420 × 594 mm, or the machine will leave a white strip and call the whole roll width the artboard. A1, at 594 × 841 mm, needs the 841 mm side along a roll that is at least 841 mm (about 33.1 inches), so a 36-inch roll is the usual stock. A 24-inch roll is enough for A2 and too narrow for A1. Measure the cut, not the roll, when you check the proof.

FAQ

What is A2 paper size in inches?

16.54 × 23.39 inches, rounded from 420 × 594 mm. Use the millimeters on the ticket when the shop works in ISO.

What size is A1?

594 × 841 mm (23.39 × 33.11 in). It is twice A2.

What size is A0?

841 × 1189 mm (33.11 × 46.81 in). It is twice A1 and four times A2.

Is A2 the same as tabloid?

No. Tabloid is 11 × 17 inches (279.4 × 431.8 mm), which is close to A3, not to A2. See Tabloid Paper Size.

What to open next

Set the artboard to 420 × 594 mm and write the scale on the sheet. If the poster must mail flat in a smaller sleeve, design the folds before you place photographs across them. The full series is on Paper Sizes.