Half Letter measures 5.5 × 8.5 inches (139.7 × 215.9 mm). Two Half Letter pages occupy the area of one US Letter sheet, 8.5 × 11 inches, when placed side by side on the sheet in landscape orientation.
Half Letter dimensions and orientation
| Sheet | Portrait width × height | Millimeters |
|---|---|---|
| Half Letter | 5.5 × 8.5 inches | 139.7 × 215.9 mm |
| US Letter | 8.5 × 11 inches | 215.9 × 279.4 mm |
| A5 | about 5.83 × 8.27 inches | 148 × 210 mm |
Half Letter describes the cut sheet, not a printer setting. A page saved as Half Letter PDF already has those dimensions. A portrait Letter sheet cut across its longer 11-inch edge yields two 5.5 × 8.5 inch pieces.
How to print two Half Letter pages on one Letter sheet
- Start with a PDF whose individual pages are 5.5 × 8.5 inches.
- Choose US Letter paper and a two-pages-per-sheet layout. Preview two upright portrait pages side by side on a landscape Letter sheet.
- Check the displayed scale. Each half of the sheet is 5.5 × 8.5 inches geometrically, but many printers leave unprintable edges and some print dialogs reduce the pages to fit them.
- Print one sheet and measure a known mark before cutting. Cut along the center of the 11-inch edge if the layout and marks call for it.
For consecutive pages, use a standard two-up layout. A folded booklet rearranges the page order; see two-up versus booklet printing. If you need truly full-size artwork near the edges, use a larger sheet or a print setup that provides enough usable area.
Half Letter versus A5
A5 is 148 × 210 mm, so it is wider and shorter than Half Letter. A5 planner PDFs are not identical to Half Letter PDFs. A proportional fit of A5 into Half Letter without reserved margins is about 94.39%, leaving unused height. Our A5 versus Half Letter guide works through both directions and the risks to punch alignment.
Use the paper comparison tool to overlay both outlines. To create custom lined or grid pages, choose the actual sheet size supported by the printable paper generator; it currently generates A4 and US Letter PDFs, which you can cut only after checking scale and margins.
Is Half Letter the same as a half-page print setting?
No. A half-page setting can shrink a Letter-sized design, while a document created at Half Letter has its own 5.5 × 8.5 inch page size. Check the PDF’s properties and the scale shown in the print preview to tell which result you will get.
Paper dimensions: Adobe paper-size reference. US Letter and Half Letter dimensions use 8.5 × 11 and 5.5 × 8.5 inches respectively; millimeters use 25.4 mm per inch. The scale and two-up examples are arithmetic, not printer tests.
PDF print settings: Adobe Acrobat page-sizing guide.