A4 vs US Letter sticker paper
Most of the world sells sticker paper in A4. The US, Canada and a few other countries mostly use US Letter. They're close enough to confuse, and different enough to ruin a layout.
| A4 (ISO 216) | US Letter (ANSI A) | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 210 × 297 mm (8.27 × 11.69 in) | 215.9 × 279.4 mm (8.5 × 11 in) |
| Area | 623.7 cm² | 603.2 cm² |
| Difference | Letter is 5.9 mm wider; A4 is 17.6 mm taller and has 3.4% more area | |
What goes wrong when they're mixed up
- Automatic scaling. Printing an A4 PDF on Letter often triggers "shrink to fit", which scales the whole page to about 94% (279.4 ÷ 297). Every sticker comes out smaller, and the cut lines no longer match what you planned.
- Clipping. Without scaling, the bottom 17.6 mm of an A4 layout falls off a Letter sheet, and on A4 paper the right-hand 5.9 mm of a Letter layout is lost.
- Pre-cut sheets. Kiss-cut label sheets are made for one paper size and one exact grid. Sticker Bench doesn't reproduce any manufacturer's template. Measure the sheet you have.
Choosing
Use whatever your paper is. Measure it with a ruler if the packaging is unclear. Then set the same size in the studio. A sticker layout planned for A4 has to be re-arranged for Letter, not scaled. Click Auto-arrange after switching. The paper-waste guide lets you compare how many stickers fit on each size.
Sources: ISO 216 (A series), US Letter.