North American paper sizes are standardized in the graphic arts and printing industries in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. You can find these common paper sizes at paper and supply stores everywhere. Most printers can easily handle these paper sizes.
Paper sizes explained
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) defined a set of standard paper sizes in 1995. In areas other than the US, Canada and Mexico, the ISO 216 standard paper sizes are used, which are measured in millimeters.
ANSI measures sheet sizes in inches and bases sheet sizes on multiples of the standard letterhead size. Common sheet sizes include 8.5×11, 11×17, 17×22, 19×25, 23×35, and 25×38.
Parent sheet sizes are the large standard sheets from which smaller sheets are cut. These sheets are produced in these sizes at the paper mills and shipped to commercial printers and other paper users. Sometimes the parent sheets are cut into smaller sizes and shipped as cut sizes. Most bond, ledger, writing, offset, book, and text papers are available in one or more of these sizes:
