Sticker sizes and formats: which size for what, from A7 to A0

How big should the sticker be? That question comes at the start of every order. The order form has a list of sizes and a field for a custom size. No line looks wrong, so one of them gets clicked.

There are three routes to a sticker size: the standard A sizes from A7 (74 × 105 mm) to A0 (841 × 1,189 mm) for quick orientation, the common special formats from squares to round labels, or a free custom size. Two measurements decide which size fits: the surface the sticker goes on, and the distance it is read from. Everything else is taste, and taste has never made lettering legible.

Sticker sizes from A7 to A0 at a glance

The A series is standardised in ISO 216, adopted in Austria as ÖNORM EN ISO 216. The principle: A0 has an area of about one square metre, each following size is made by halving the long side, and the aspect ratio of 1 : √2 stays the same.

The standard does describe finished paper sizes, though; stickers following it is a habit of the trade, not a rule. It is still practical.

Size	Dimensions in mm	Typical use
A7	74 × 105	small sticker, label on containers, cable and tool marking
A6	105 × 148	postcard size; laptop sticker, packaging, insert
A5	148 × 210	logo on the toolbox, notice on the door
A4	210 × 297	a sheet of paper; machine, door, side of a container
A3	297 × 420	company logo on the side door, notice in the shop window
A2	420 × 594	vehicle door, trade show wall, display material at a stand
A1	594 × 841	side of a trailer, larger shop window area
A0	841 × 1,189	poster size; shop window area, roller door, container wall

Alongside these come the special formats, at least as common for stickers. In the Austrian market you will find DL (DIN long) at 99 × 210 mm, squares from 50 × 50 mm to 150 × 150 mm and round labels, with one supplier offering any diameter from 10 to 300 mm. Rectangular stickers usually have rounded corners; these suppliers' data sheets give a corner radius of 3 mm or more. It is not about looks: in our experience, a sharp corner is the first thing to lift when something wipes over it.

Which size for what, from product sticker to large surface

The choice follows the free surface and the reading distance; that gives four groups of sticker sizes.

Small, A7 to A6. Product marking, labels on containers, laptop stickers, markings on tools. Here the surface sets the size: a device housing has screws, radii and edges, and the sticker has to stay on the flat part. For labels on a roll, small sizes are the norm.

Medium, A5 to A4. Company logo on the toolbox, marking on a machine, notice on the workshop door. Read from a few metres away, on a surface almost any piece of equipment offers. This is where most company stickers end up.

Large, A3 to A1. Logo on the van door, lettering on the side of a trailer, announcement in the shop window, graphics at a trade show stand. On a vehicle, the free area between swage lines, door handle recesses and edges sets the size. How vehicle graphics are put together is covered elsewhere; for the size, what counts is the tape measure on the door.

Very large, A0 and custom sizes. Whole surfaces, long strips across a shop front, material on the roll. From here on, installation is a job of its own: two people to apply it, or our sign-making team takes it on, for trade show graphics as well as on large surfaces. Without a smooth, sound surface, a sign is sometimes the better carrier.

Not included here: warning and safety signs in the workplace. These are governed by the Austrian Workplace Signage Ordinance (Kennzeichnungsverordnung, Federal Law Gazette II No. 101/1997). In § 1 (5) item 1 it essentially requires that dimensions, arrangement and design match the type and extent of the hazard. This is for orientation, not legal advice; if in doubt, the authority decides. We produce such signs. Clarify which requirements apply with your occupational safety specialist first; after that, we sort out material and finish.

How big does it have to be to be read?

From a distance, what counts is not the area but the height of the lettering. An A3 sticker with four lines and a phone number in small print is a grey smudge from across a car park. An A5 sticker with three characters can get more across there.

As a starting value we use the sign-making rule of thumb: about 1 cm of cap height per metre of reading distance. So from five metres, capital letters about 5 cm high. This is not standardised; it is a value from practice. With backlight, dirt or speed, allow more generously.

What reliably works is older than any formula: print the design at final size on paper, stick it in its place and step back to the reading distance. Masking tape holds long enough for this; on paint only briefly and not in blazing sun, and on freshly painted surfaces not at all. Two minutes, one sheet of paper, discussion over.

From the pavement, across the car park, driving past

Three situations, three sizes. From the pavement it is a few metres, and even small print gets read there, such as opening hours on the door. Across a car park only the logo and a short word count. Driving past, there is time for one line. Try to serve all three distances with one design and you serve none of them. More on this in Stickers you can't overlook.

A QR code follows the same logic: larger rather than smaller, keep the light margin free all round, and test it with two or three phones before the print run.

Custom size instead of a DIN size

As soon as the surface is fixed, a custom size becomes the better choice. A strip across a door panel, a circle on a lid, a band on a machine cover: such dimensions are in no standard. The size of the surface sets the format, not the other way round.

At the top end, the material sets the limit, and it does so in width. Digital print vinyl comes off the roll: the roll width is the hard value, the length the softer one. Our rolls are 160 cm wide, and we print 157 cm; that is the widest single piece, at up to 48 m in length. A0, with its 841 mm short side, fits across the roll with room to spare. Anything wider has to be split, with a clean butt joint, so give us the dimension before you set up the file.

At the bottom end, it is not the size that decides but the contour. There is no industry-wide minimum size; we kiss-cut from 15 mm edge length and contour-cut from 20 mm. There are also fixed values for the cutting line: leave at least 2 mm between two cutting contours, 3 mm to be safe. Corners work from a 3 mm radius, points and waves from 3 mm in height. According to the data sheets, contour cutting is unsuitable for fine designs and thin text: the smaller the size, the calmer the contour should be.

Individually, on sheets or on a roll

The size also helps decide how the stickers arrive. Several small designs usually run as kiss-cut on a sheet: the blade cuts only the vinyl and leaves the backing paper intact. Sticker sheets run as A4, A5 or A6. Large sizes come rolled, because a crease from shipping will not come out again.

What the size means for the print file

Set up the print file at final size, i.e. 1:1. If the design is to bleed off the edge, give it 3 mm extra all round beyond the cutting edge; otherwise a white edge may be left after cutting. Important elements such as the phone number move 3 mm in from the cutting edge. On kiss-cut sheets, also leave 5 mm free between the cutting contour and the edge of the sheet.

In our free file check we look at the print files: size, resolution, bleed, contour line, white layer and print direction. It is a technical check, not a correction of content or spelling.

Chosen once, used three times: the one-size logo

A typical picture: a trade business orders logo stickers in one size for everything: for the company car, the toolbox and the workshop door. On the toolbox the design runs over the edge. On the vehicle door it disappears next to the swage line. And from the street nobody can read the phone number.

The size was never miscalculated. It was chosen once and used three times. What would have made sense: for the vehicle door, take the measurement of the free area; for the toolbox, a smaller size with a margin all round; for the door, a size that can be read from a few metres away.

Reading distance decides, not taste

For us, the jobs of recent years come down to one sentence: size is decided by distance, not by taste.

If you know from how many metres your design needs to be read, you have almost settled the size. And you save yourself the second print run because the first was too small.

The second view is less popular: three sizes cost more than one. The quantity tiers apply per size, so the order splits into three, and set-up happens three times. Set that against a reprint: if the one size was too small, you pay for the whole run again. Weigh the two against each other; stickers can be ordered from a single piece. It still makes sense to order several sizes together, so they arrive in one delivery. Which material we print on, adhesive vinyl or adhesive paper, for indoors or outdoors, we settle separately from the size. That too is part of the requirements for a good sticker.

Conclusion: measure the surface and the distance

The A series from A7 to A0 is a guide, nothing more. Before you order stickers, measure the surface they go on, between edges, swage lines and screws. Then work out from what distance they will be read: put up a printout at final size and step back. Only then comes the question of standard size or custom size, and if the surface is fixed, it is usually a custom size.

If you are having stickers printed, it is best to send us the file beforehand; then we check the size at the same time. Write to us via Contact: the dimensions of the surface and the reading distance are enough. Custom stickers can be ordered online at koeck-print.at.

Standards: ISO 216 and ÖNORM EN ISO 216 (1 January 2008); on the legibility of lettering, DIN 1450 (11/2024). Market data, bleed and contour values as of 09/2026, taken from the size lists and data sheets of three Austrian online print shops. Roll widths according to the data sheet of a vinyl manufacturer.

Frequently asked questions

What sizes are there for stickers?

The standard A sizes give you orientation, from A7 at 74 × 105 mm to A0 at 841 × 1,189 mm. Special formats are just as common: DL (DIN long), squares, round and free-cut shapes. And if the surface calls for something else, it becomes a custom size.

Which size is right for my sticker?

Two measurements decide: the free surface and the reading distance. Measure the area between edges and swage lines. Then print the design at final size on paper, put it in its place and step back. There is no standard size that fits every location.

Can I order stickers in a custom size?

Yes. Besides the standard A sizes you can enter your own dimensions. At the top end the width of the material roll sets the limit, at the bottom end the cutting contour: leave at least 2 mm between two contours, and corners work from a 3 mm radius. Tell us the dimensions of the surface and the size will follow from them.