Legal has no close ISO partner. How every US size maps to ISO is on paper size equivalents.
A4 vs Legal
A4 is 210 × 297 mm; Legal is 215.9 × 355.6 mm (8.5 × 14 in). Legal is 6 mm wider and 59 mm longer. An A4 page fits on Legal at full size with a large blank strip at the bottom; a Legal page needs reducing to 83 percent to fit on A4.
A4 is 5.9 mm narrower than Legal and 58.6 mm shorter, with 81% of its area. Print A4 on Legal at 103%, or Legal on A4 at 84%.
| A4 | Legal | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Width | 210 mm | 215.9 mm | -5.9 mm |
| Height | 297 mm | 355.6 mm | -58.6 mm |
| Inches | 8.27 × 11.69 in | 8.5 × 14 in | |
| Pixels @ 300 dpi | 2,480 × 3,508 | 2,550 × 4,200 | |
| Area | 623.7 cm² | 767.7 cm² | 81% |
| Aspect ratio | 1:√2 | 1:1.65 | |
| Scale to fit | A4 → Legal: 103% | Legal → A4: 84% |
Choose A4 when
Use A4 for ordinary documents anywhere outside North America, and for anything that must fit standard A4 binders and C4 envelopes. There is no ISO sheet with Legal's extra length; long documents there simply run to more A4 pages.
Choose Legal when
Use Legal for US and Canadian contracts, court filings, deeds and long forms that tradition or a court rule puts on 8.5 × 14 in. Legal pads, Legal folders and the No. 14 envelope are sized for it.
Which should you use?
These sheets do different jobs, so the choice is rarely a toss-up. Draft in Legal only when a US or Canadian recipient expects it; everywhere else use A4 and let the document run longer.
Printing A4 on Legal needs no scaling: the page fits at 100 percent with 6 mm of spare width and 59 mm at the bottom. Printing Legal on A4 needs a reduction to 83 percent, which shrinks 12 pt type to 10 pt and is hard on the eyes.
A common trap is a Legal file sent abroad. A4 printers will either clip the bottom 59 mm or shrink the page. Where possible reflow the document to A4 rather than scaling it.
Questions about this comparison
Is Legal paper bigger than A4?
Yes. Legal is 215.9 × 355.6 mm; A4 is 210 × 297 mm. Legal is 6 mm wider and 59 mm longer, about 23 percent more area.
How do I print a Legal document on A4?
Set the scale to 83 percent or choose fit to page. The page reduces to about 179 × 295 mm and fits on A4 with narrow side margins. Alternatively change the page size to A4 and reflow the text.
Is there an ISO equivalent of Legal?
No. The nearest ISO-adjacent sizes are F4 (210 × 330 mm) and Government Legal (215.9 × 330.2 mm), both 25 mm shorter than Legal. ISO countries use A4 and add pages.
Scale one onto the other
The exact percentage for the print dialog, either direction.
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