US Letter Size
US Letter is 8.5 × 11 inches (215.9 × 279.4 mm) — the default paper size in North America. At 300 DPI it's 2550 × 3300 pixels. Used for business documents, marketing one-pagers, school materials, and any print collateral in the United States or Canada. It's slightly wider and shorter than A4.
Specifications
| Pixels | 2550 × 3300 px (at 300 DPI) |
| Millimetres | 215.9 × 279.4 mm |
| Centimetres | 21.6 × 27.9 cm |
| Inches | 8.5 × 11 in |
| Aspect ratio | 17:22 |
| Colour mode | CMYK for print / RGB for screen |
| Bleed | 3 mm |
| Safe zone | 12.7 mm (0.5 in) from trim |
US Letter in Pixels at Different DPI
The pixel count changes with DPI setting — choose the right one for your output.
| DPI | Width (px) | Height (px) | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 72 | 612 | 792 | Screen preview, PDF viewers |
| 96 | 816 | 1,056 | Windows screen standard, digital documents |
| 150 | 1,275 | 1,650 | Medium-quality print, home printers |
| 300 | 2,550 | 3,300 | Professional print, commercial offset |
Design Tips
- →US Letter and A4 are not interchangeable — Letter is 6 mm wider and 18 mm shorter than A4. Always confirm which format your printer stocks before sending artwork.
- →Standard US margin convention is 1 inch (25.4 mm) on all sides for documents. For flyers and marketing materials, margins of 0.5 inch (12.7 mm) are common.
- →For edge-to-edge designs, add 0.125 inch (3.175 mm) bleed on each side — this is the US print industry standard, equivalent to 3 mm metric bleed.
- →Export as PDF with 'US Letter' page size set explicitly in your PDF settings to avoid automatic A4 conversion by Adobe Acrobat.
Create US Letter designs with Playyy
Set a custom canvas to 2550 × 3300 px, generate visuals from a text prompt, and export at the right dimensions — no design software needed.
Start designing free →Frequently Asked Questions
What is US Letter size in mm?+
US Letter is 215.9 × 279.4 mm (21.59 × 27.94 cm). It's the standard North American document size — equivalent to A4 in use, but slightly wider (by 5.9 mm) and shorter (by 17.6 mm).
What is US Letter size in pixels at 300 DPI?+
US Letter at 300 DPI is 2550 × 3300 pixels. At 150 DPI it's 1275 × 1650 px. At 96 DPI it's 816 × 1056 px. Use 300 DPI for professional print output; 96 DPI works for digital documents.
Is US Letter the same as A4?+
No. US Letter (8.5 × 11 in / 215.9 × 279.4 mm) and A4 (8.27 × 11.69 in / 210 × 297 mm) are different sizes. A4 is taller and narrower. Printing an A4 document on Letter paper clips the bottom; printing a Letter document on A4 adds white space at the bottom.