Standard book size in width and length

The article tells what the size of the book is, the standards of book sizes are given, as well as GOSTs and TUs for standard sizes, it is explained what this is connected with. GOSTs for fonts used in books are described, non-standard and unusual book formats are considered.

The sizes of books are different. There are both small pocket copies and microbooks, as well as large albums, gift and anniversary editions. The introduction of the standard sizes of books and other printed publications is primarily associated with a decrease in the cost of the book while reducing the number of scraps of paper going to waste paper when printing in a printing house.

book size

The concept of standardization for determining the size of the book

The first printed books were unique editions, they were expensive, they were considered luxury goods. This dictated the design of the books: even their illustrations were sometimes painted manually. The size of the books had to meet the same requirements: the books were large and heavy, having very different lengths and widths. The measurement results of most Russian books of the 11th-13th centuries show a wide range of values, because the size was determined by the purpose of the book, the customer and the copyist. For example, the altar gospel was made up to 30 cm high, and books for everyday use were small for readability.

standard book size in width and length

With the development of typography, book runs increased dramatically. To make books not only easy to read, but also cheap, they introduced certain sizes of their length and width โ€” standard book sizes or formats.

It turned out like with handkerchiefs: from round and elegant they became rectangular and everyday. When cutting fabric scraps did not become, the cost decreased.

The same thing happened with books. The printing sheet of paper had certain sizes. In order to reduce the number of cuts during printing, the sheet was folded several times, and then cut. The size of the book was half a sheet, a quarter of a sheet, one eighth of a sheet, etc. In fact, the standard sizes of books began to correspond to the sizes of sheets of printing paper.

Book format concept

standard hardcover book size

The format of a book publication is the size of the finished (cut and stitched) book in millimeters or fractions of a sheet of printed paper.

From the light hand of the printer Manucius Alda:

  • the page size of the book, equal to the size of a regular printing sheet, is called by the in plano printing workers;
  • half page size - in folio;
  • size when four pages are placed on the printing sheet - in quarto;
  • size when eight pages on the printing sheet are in octavo.

With duplex printing, the number of pages doubles.

Page sizes derived from octavo are:

  • foolscap 170x108 mm;
  • grown octavo 190x126 mm;
  • demi octavo 221x142 mm;
  • royal octavo 253x158 mm.

The standard size of the book in width and length is usually indicated as follows:

AhB / S

where A is the width of the original printing sheet (cm);

B - its height (cm);

1 / C - this is the proportion of the sheet, which is obtained by folding it into a notebook (part of the book).

To get the number of pages in a notebook, you need to multiply the number C by two.

Names of book formats from the history of typography

Tome - a book in half of the printed sheet. The meaning of the word โ€œfolioโ€ today is a large weighty old book. In the 17th century, there were also complete opposites to the folios - miniature little books called โ€œelsiviersโ€. Their size was 88x44 mm. Reducing book formats has become possible thanks to the creation of more capacious fonts and less thick paper. These little books were an elegant and refined addition to the owner's toilets.

In the 18th century, Peter the Great introduced for the first time in Russia the standard sizes of books. They constituted 1/8 and 1/12 of the printed sheet. He introduced the king-reformer and unified (i.e., uniform, identical) civil fonts.

Fonts for books

Fonts example

A word came from the German Schrift - drawing or lettering. The establishment of a standard font size for a book is a necessity caused by the standardization of the length and width of publications. Typically, a book uses one headset, i.e. a set of fonts of the same picture, but of different sizes. When choosing a font, you need to consider the headset, style and size. A size is the size of a typographic font, defined in points. One point is 0.376 mm. Optimum readability is determined by the 14th size, and for fiction the 12th size is usually used.

Size standards for various books in the USSR and Russia

standard font size for a book

In the USSR, the format of books was first determined by GOST 5773-68. According to this standard, 30 formats were established, including 16 basic and 14 for non-standard size books. Since 1976, GOST 5773-76 has been in force, establishing 36 formats already (19 and 17, respectively). Most often, a 1/8, 1/16, and 1/32 share of the sheet was used.

Technical conditions, unlike GOSTs, offered three main strip formats:

  • economical (for dictionaries, reference books, etc.);
  • normal (for fiction and textbooks);
  • improved (for collected works and other books of long use).

Five main types of book formats have been adopted in Russia: from super large (84 ร— 108/16; 70 ร— 90/8) to ultra small (60 ร— 90/32). GOST 5773-76 and GOST 1342-78 establish the rules for printing books. For example, the standard sizes of hardback books with minimal paper waste are: 60 ร— 90/16, 60 ร— 84/16, 84 ร— 108/32.


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