Guides / B5 paper size
Paper size & print preparation
B5 paper size in CM, MM, inches and pixels.
B5 is 17.6 × 25 cm in the international system, but the Japanese B5 used by many notebooks is 18.2 × 25.7 cm. Here is how to tell them apart and set up a page in either.
B5 at a glance
17.6 × 25 cm
ISO B5 · portrait · finished size
- Millimeters
- 176 × 250 mm
- Inches, rounded
- 6.93 × 9.84 in
- Pixels at 300 PPI
- 2079 × 2953 px
- JIS B5
- 182 × 257 mm
B5 dimensions: ISO B5 and JIS B5
There are two common B5 sizes. ISO B5 belongs to the international ISO 216 standard that also defines A4 and A5. JIS B5 comes from the Japanese Industrial Standard and is slightly larger. Both have the same shape, so the difference is only scale.
| Unit | ISO B5 | JIS B5 |
|---|---|---|
| Millimeters | 176 × 250 mm | 182 × 257 mm |
| Centimeters | 17.6 × 25 cm | 18.2 × 25.7 cm |
| Inches, rounded | 6.93 × 9.84 in | 7.17 × 10.12 in |
| Aspect ratio | ≈ 1:1.42 | ≈ 1:1.41 |
For landscape, swap the numbers: ISO B5 landscape is 25 × 17.6 cm. The inch values are rounded from millimeters because the B series is defined in whole millimeters; one inch is exactly 25.4 mm.
The ISO B sizes fill the gaps between A sizes. Each B size is the geometric mean of the A size above and below it, so B5’s width of 176 mm lies between A5’s 148 mm and A4’s 210 mm.
B5 size in pixels
Pixels = millimeters ÷ 25.4 × PPI, rounded at the end. For ISO B5 at 300 PPI: 176 ÷ 25.4 × 300 = 2078.7, which rounds to 2079 pixels wide, and 250 ÷ 25.4 × 300 = 2952.8, or 2953 pixels high.
| Resolution | ISO B5 (176 × 250 mm) | JIS B5 (182 × 257 mm) |
|---|---|---|
| 72 PPI | 499 × 709 px | 516 × 729 px |
| 96 PPI | 665 × 945 px | 688 × 971 px |
| 150 PPI | 1039 × 1476 px | 1075 × 1518 px |
| 200 PPI | 1386 × 1969 px | 1433 × 2024 px |
| 300 PPI | 2079 × 2953 px | 2150 × 3035 px |
| 600 PPI | 4157 × 5906 px | 4299 × 6071 px |
Use 300 PPI for printed photos and detailed artwork, 150 PPI for drafts and everyday documents, and 72 or 96 PPI only for on-screen previews. A DPI setting does not add detail to an image that is too small; it only changes how large the existing pixels print. The DPI Converter changes that tag without resampling.
Which B5 do you have?
Measure the short side with a ruler. About 176 mm means ISO B5; about 182 mm means JIS B5. The 6 mm difference is easy to see on a ruler and matters for covers, refills, printer settings and page templates.
- Notebooks and loose-leaf paper labeled B5, especially from Japanese brands, are usually JIS B5.
- Printer and Word settings often list both, labeled “B5 (JIS)” and “B5 (ISO)” or “B5 Envelope”. Pick the one that matches your paper.
- Books, journals and printed catalogs outside Japan that say B5 usually mean ISO B5, but confirm with the printer.
B5 vs A4, A5 and US Letter
| Format | Millimeters | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 210 × 297 | ≈ 8.27 × 11.69 |
| US Letter | 215.9 × 279.4 | 8.5 × 11 |
| JIS B5 | 182 × 257 | ≈ 7.17 × 10.12 |
| ISO B5 | 176 × 250 | ≈ 6.93 × 9.84 |
| A5 | 148 × 210 | ≈ 5.83 × 8.27 |
| 5×7 photo | 127 × 177.8 | 5 × 7 |
B5 is a common choice for notebooks, workbooks and textbooks because it is more portable than A4 but has noticeably more writing space than A5. If you are choosing a notebook size, B5 gives about 41% more page area than A5.
Set up and print a B5 page
- Choose the right B5 in your app.In Word, Google Docs or a design app, select B5 (ISO) or B5 (JIS), or enter a custom size of 176 × 250 mm or 182 × 257 mm.
- Add bleed for edge-to-edge printing.Printers commonly ask for 3 mm on each side. An ISO B5 page with 3 mm bleed is 182 × 256 mm; at 300 PPI that is about 2150 × 3024 pixels. Keep text at least 5 mm inside the trim.
- Prepare images at the right size.For a full-page image, start from at least the 300 PPI pixel size above. Resize with the aspect ratio locked in the Image Resizer, and crop rather than stretch.
- Print at 100%.Turn off “fit to page” unless you deliberately want to scale to A4 or Letter. Print one test page and measure it before printing a batch.
Frequently asked questions
What is B5 paper size in cm?
International (ISO 216) B5 is 17.6 × 25 cm, or 176 × 250 mm, in portrait. The Japanese JIS B5 size, used for many notebooks and in Japan and parts of Asia, is slightly larger at 18.2 × 25.7 cm.
What is B5 size in inches?
ISO B5 is about 6.93 × 9.84 inches, and JIS B5 is about 7.17 × 10.12 inches. Both inch values are rounded from millimeters, so set up documents in millimeters when the exact size matters.
What is B5 size in pixels at 300 DPI?
ISO B5 at 300 pixels per inch is 2079 × 2953 pixels. JIS B5 at 300 PPI is 2150 × 3035 pixels. These cover the trimmed page; add bleed if your printer asks for it.
Is B5 bigger than A5?
Yes. B5 sits between A5 and A4: it is larger than A5 (148 × 210 mm) and smaller than A4 (210 × 297 mm). Its area is about 1.41 times A5 and about 0.71 times A4.
Is a B5 notebook the same as ISO B5?
Often not. Many notebooks sold as B5, especially Japanese brands, use JIS B5 at 182 × 257 mm, which is 6 mm wider and 7 mm taller than ISO B5. Check the product’s millimeter dimensions before buying refills, covers or inserts.
Can I print B5 on A4 paper?
Yes. Set the document to B5 and print on A4 at 100% scale, then trim, or choose “fit to page” to enlarge it to fill A4. Enlarging to A4 scales everything by about 1.19, which keeps proportions because A and B sizes share the same shape.
Calculation note: pixels = mm ÷ 25.4 × PPI, rounded to whole pixels at the end. Inch values are rounded to two decimal places.
Prepare the image, keep the original
Ready for a B5 page.
Resize a prepared image locally, then set its DPI if your printer asks for it.