Letters and Cover Letter Sizes

Apr 27, 2023

The right letter size should be followed and taken into account when writing letters that are going to be sent to a company, organization, or just a certain person. Adhering to the right size will present an opportunity for the letter to serve its intended purpose and it also preserves the layout of the document.

Letter and Cover Letter Sizes Standard

US – Letter

There are plenty of letter sizes available depending on their purpose or depending on which format is required, and the first standard size that can be followed when making a letter and cover letter is the US Letter size which measures 8.5×11 inches. This is the standard letter size that’s used in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and is most commonly used on school documents which is why this is the go-to size for a student resume or a short college resume.

A4 Size

A4 size is a common sheet size and is the next standard size that can be followed when creating letters and cover letters, which measures 8.3×11.7 inches and is the international equivalent of the Letter size. This is most commonly used when creating letterheads that may have a business purpose, and for this reason, this is the go-to size when creating letters and cover letters such as marketing letters, payment letters, and so on.

A5 Size

A5 is a standard for international paper sizes which measures exactly half of an A4 paper (5.8×8.3 inches) and is another standard size that can be used when creating letters and cover letters. This size is commonly used for small pamphlets, planners, and invitations, which is why this size makes the most sense when simple thank you letters, or generic appreciation letter templates, or a short closure notice letter is made.

Letter and Cover Letter Sizes for Print

Depending on which purpose your letter or cover letter is used, they can follow the different standard sizes when they are being printed, which are the US Letter (8.5×11 inches), A4 (8.3×11 inches), and A5 (5.8×8.3 inches). Before printing, the key thing to note is that the right layout should be set (such as proper title, correct logo if applicable, and so on) and the right size has been confirmed on the print options dialog box.

Letter and Cover Letter Sizes for Business

When writing a letter or a cover letter for a company or business, which can be sent by mail or printed on a blank white sheet, formats and sizes should be formal and easy to understand. Depending on the location of the company or organization, it is best to follow two of the standard letter and cover letter sizes, and they are the US Letter Size which measures 21.59×27.94 cm, and the A4 size which measures 21.0×29.7 cm.

Letter and Cover Letter Sizes for MS Word

MS Word is a high-quality word processing application that you can use to create letters and cover letters, and making use of preset templates can save you effort while producing professional results. As for the sizes that can be followed when creating the document in this program, the standard sizes still apply, which are the Letter (215.9×279.4 mm) and the A4 size (210×297 mm) which should both be available as preset sizes, while for the A5 (138×210 mm) is available by manually typing the dimensions in the Page Setup settings box.

Letter and Cover Letter Sizes for Apple Pages

In doing your letters and cover letters using Apple Pages, you can customize and set your own paper sizes and paper orientations. The sizes that can be followed here are still the standard ones, which are the Letter (8.5×11 inches), the A4 (8.3×11.7 inches), and the A5 size (5.8×8.3 inches), and in order to select between the sizes, go to “File”, then “Page Setup”, then under the “Paper Size” drop-down menu, you have the Letter and A4 preset sizes available to choose from, while you can manually type the dimensions for the A5 size.

Letter and Cover Letter Sizes for Google Docs

In using google docs for making letters and cover letters, you can still follow the standard sizes, which are the US Letter (21.59×27.94 cm), the A4 (21.0×29.7 cm), and the A5 size (13.8×21.0 cm). It is important to know that the Letter size is the default in this program, and to change the size, go to the “File” tab, click on “Page Setup”, change the “Apply” setting to “whole document”, and from there, simply select between the preset paper size options for the Letter, A4, and A5.

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