Quick answer: US Letter paper measures 8.5 × 11 inches, which equals 215.9 × 279.4 mm or 21.59 × 27.94 cm. It is a common office and home-printing size in the United States and parts of North America.
Letter Paper Dimensions
| Unit | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Inches | 8.5 | 11 |
| Millimeters | 215.9 | 279.4 |
| Centimeters | 21.59 | 27.94 |
Letter vs A4
A4 measures 210 × 297 mm. Compared with Letter, A4 is slightly narrower and longer. They are close enough that a document may look similar on either sheet, but page breaks, margins and print scaling can change.
Letter vs Legal
Letter and US Legal are both 8.5 inches wide. Letter is 11 inches long, while Legal paper is 14 inches long. If a document was designed for Legal paper, printing it on Letter can cause reflow, scaling or clipping.
Letter Paper Size in Pixels
There is no single pixel size because pixels depend on resolution. Common examples for an 8.5 × 11 inch page are:
| Resolution | Pixel dimensions |
|---|---|
| 72 ppi | 612 × 792 px |
| 150 ppi | 1275 × 1650 px |
| 300 ppi | 2550 × 3300 px |
For print work, 300 ppi is a common high-resolution target for raster images, but the correct setting depends on the printer, viewing distance and production requirements.
How to Set Letter Size Before Printing
- Set the document page size to Letter or 8.5 × 11 inches.
- Load Letter paper into the printer.
- Choose Letter again in the printer properties.
- Check orientation and margins.
- Review scaling: use 100%/actual size when exact physical dimensions matter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 8.5 × 11 the standard US printer paper size?
It is the common US Letter size used for many office, school and home-printing documents.
Is Letter the same as A4?
No. Letter is 215.9 × 279.4 mm; A4 is 210 × 297 mm.
What is Letter size at 300 ppi?
8.5 × 11 inches at 300 pixels per inch equals 2550 × 3300 pixels.
Last reviewed: October 2026.
