Journal / Paper guides / Long Bond Paper Size in cm: 21.59 x 33.02 cm

Published February 25, 2026 · Updated May 31, 2026 · 8 min readSection / Journal

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Long Bond Paper Size in cm: 21.59 x 33.02 cm

Long bond paper is commonly 21.59 x 33.02 cm, or 8.5 x 13 inches. Compare Long Bond vs Letter, A4, and Legal before printing forms.

PGPaperGens · writing about print·February 25, 2026·Updated May 31, 2026·8 min read

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Long bond paper size commonly means 21.59 × 33.02 cm, or 8.5 × 13 inches. The phrase is regional, so the safest answer is both the local name and the exact dimensions. In many Philippine school, office, and government workflows, "long bond" points to the 8.5 × 13 inch sheet, not US Legal.

For the shortest conversion answer, use the Long bond paper size guide. This article focuses on the practical print problem: how Long Bond compares with Letter, A4, and Legal, and how to stop forms from reflowing when a printer or PDF viewer picks the wrong page size.

Quick answer

Long bond paper is commonly 21.59 cm wide and 33.02 cm tall. In inches, that is 8.5 × 13 in. In millimeters, it is 215.9 × 330.2 mm.

That makes it the same width as US Letter and US Legal, but the height sits between them. It is 2 inches taller than Letter and 1 inch shorter than US Legal. It is also wider and taller than A4, so an A4 form cannot be treated as a Long Bond form without changing layout, margins, or scaling.

Size	Inches	Centimeters	Millimeters
US Letter	8.5 × 11 in	21.59 × 27.94 cm	215.9 × 279.4 mm
A4	8.27 × 11.69 in	21.0 × 29.7 cm	210 × 297 mm
Long bond	8.5 × 13 in	21.59 × 33.02 cm	215.9 × 330.2 mm
US Legal	8.5 × 14 in	21.59 × 35.56 cm	215.9 × 355.6 mm

Because naming varies regionally, measure a physical sample before duplicating legacy PDFs. Do not infer from "long", "legal", "folio", or "oficio" alone. Those labels can point to different presets depending on the country, printer driver, and office habit.

Long Bond vs Letter

Letter is 21.59 × 27.94 cm. Long Bond is 21.59 × 33.02 cm. The width is identical, but Long Bond adds 5.08 cm, or 2 inches, of vertical space.

That extra height matters for forms with signature blocks, exam sections, application pages, or tables that should not spill onto a second sheet. If a document was designed for Long Bond and someone prints it on Letter with "fit to page", the print may shrink. If they print without scaling, the bottom can be clipped. Both outcomes are bad when signatures, QR codes, or continuation text sit near the bottom.

Use Letter when the document must fit ordinary folders, binders, home printers, or US office workflows. Use Long Bond when the institution specifically asks for it or when the form was originally laid out for 13 inch height.

Long Bond vs Legal

US Legal is 21.59 × 35.56 cm, or 8.5 × 14 in. Legal is one inch taller than Long Bond. That one inch is enough to shift page breaks, table heights, footer positions, and duplex alignment.

This is the most expensive confusion because many printer drivers offer a Legal preset but no Long Bond preset. If you select Legal for an 8.5 × 13 in document, the printer may feed a longer sheet than expected. If the actual tray contains Long Bond paper but the driver thinks the page is Legal, the bottom margin can be wrong or the printer may pause with a media mismatch warning.

If your printer does not show "Long Bond", look for a custom paper-size option and enter 8.5 in width, 13 in height or 215.9 mm width, 330.2 mm height. Save the preset with a plain name such as "Long Bond 8.5x13" so the next print job does not rely on memory.

Long Bond vs A4

A4 is 21.0 × 29.7 cm, or about 8.27 × 11.69 in. It is narrower and shorter than Long Bond. A4 is the international office standard in many countries, while Long Bond remains common in regional school and office workflows.

When converting an old Long Bond form to A4, do not only reduce the page. The width changes, the height changes, and the aspect ratio changes. A table that fits cleanly on Long Bond may need fewer rows, smaller spacing, or a second page on A4. If the document is official, keep a separate A4 master instead of letting users print the Long Bond file with automatic scaling.

For mixed teams, put the paper size directly in the file name or cover note. A name like application-long-bond-8.5x13.pdf prevents someone from assuming A4 or Legal later.

Why centimeters cause confusion

Centimeters are convenient for conversation, but document templates should store millimeters or inches exactly. 21.6 × 33 cm may be close enough for a shelf label, yet a form engine needs the precise height so tables, signatures, and page breaks stay aligned.

The exact metric size for common 8.5 × 13 in Long Bond is 215.9 × 330.2 mm. In centimeters that is 21.59 × 33.02 cm. If you round the height to 33 cm in a design tool, the difference is tiny for one blank page, but it can become visible when a border, ruler, or repeated form field sits near the bottom edge.

Use rounded centimeters in page copy and human-readable labels. Use inches or millimeters in PDF settings, document properties, and custom paper presets.

Printing checklist

Before printing a batch, make sure four things match: the document page size, the printer driver, the tray stock, and the scaling option.

Set the document page size to 8.5 × 13 in or 215.9 × 330.2 mm.
If the printer has no Long Bond preset, create a custom paper size.
Load actual 8.5 × 13 in stock, not 8.5 × 14 in Legal stock.
Turn off "fit to page" unless you intentionally want a reduced print.
Print at 100% scale for forms, ruled paper, tables, and page-positioned signatures.
Proof one sheet before printing exams, applications, or government forms.

If the printer asks for a different tray, stop and inspect the media setting. Do not keep clicking through warnings. A mismatch between PDF size and tray size is exactly how Long Bond jobs become clipped or quietly scaled.

Word, Google Docs, and PDF setup

In Word or Google Docs, set the page size before building the document. If you change the paper size after a form is finished, tables, images, and page breaks can move. For a custom size, enter 8.5 in by 13 in. If the app asks for centimeters or millimeters, enter 21.59 cm by 33.02 cm or 215.9 mm by 330.2 mm.

After editing, export a PDF and check the PDF page size in the viewer. The editable source file is for authors. The PDF is for distribution and printing. That split matters because recipients may open the source file on a computer whose default paper size is Letter, A4, or Legal.

For shared office forms, add a small page-size note near the top of the source file or in the document properties. A future helper should not have to guess why the page is taller than Letter but shorter than Legal.

Legacy forms and scanned documents

Long Bond shows up often in older school, office, and government documents. When recreating a scanned form, measure the live area after scanning, not only the outer sheet. Perforations, photocopy margins, and worn edges can shrink usable space.

Avoid rebuilding official forms as stretched images. A raster scan can look acceptable on screen but blur when reprinted. Recreate lines, tables, and labels in editable vector or document tools when possible. Then export a clean PDF at the exact Long Bond page size.

If you must preserve a scanned original, keep the scan at its native aspect ratio. Do not stretch an A4 scan to Long Bond or a Long Bond scan to Legal. Stretching makes boxes, signatures, and logos look slightly wrong, and it can make OCR less reliable.

Procurement and school supply wording

When buying paper, write the exact size next to the local name: Long Bond, 8.5 × 13 in, 215.9 × 330.2 mm. That prevents substitution during stock shortages and avoids confusion with Legal, Folio, Oficio, or other long-sheet labels.

For schools, label cartons and printer trays by exact size. A tray label that says only "long" may be obvious to one department and confusing to another. A label that says "Long Bond 8.5x13" is harder to misread.

For tenders, office supply requests, and print-shop orders, include the size in inches and millimeters. Vendors may use familiar local language in conversation, but purchase documents need dimensions. The page size is part of the specification, not a casual note.

Student laptops and PDF viewers

Student laptops, browser PDF viewers, and shared computers often default to Letter or A4. A Long Bond PDF can open correctly but print with an automatic fit setting. Publish a one-page calibration sheet when scale matters. Add a vertical line or ruler that should measure 13 inches after printing, then ask users to check it before submitting important documents.

If a school prints exams on long bond, keep one locked PDF master and one editable source file. Editing directly in a copied Word file is how page height silently returns to Letter.

For take-home forms, include a short instruction near the download link: print on Long Bond 8.5 × 13 in at 100% scale. That is clearer than saying only "print on long paper", especially for families using different printer brands.

FAQ

What is long bond paper size in cm? Long bond paper is commonly 21.59 × 33.02 cm, which equals 8.5 × 13 inches.

Is long bond the same as Legal paper? No. Common Long Bond is 8.5 × 13 in. US Legal is 8.5 × 14 in, so Legal is one inch taller.

Is long bond the same as A4? No. A4 is 210 × 297 mm. Long Bond is commonly 215.9 × 330.2 mm, so it is wider and taller than A4.

Can I print Long Bond on a Legal tray? Only if the printer can feed the actual paper you loaded and the driver uses the correct 8.5 × 13 in custom size. Selecting US Legal for a Long Bond PDF can create scaling or tray mismatch problems.

What size should I enter in Word? Enter 8.5 in width and 13 in height. If Word uses metric units, enter 21.59 cm by 33.02 cm.

Why do offices still say short bond and long bond? It is regional shorthand for shorter and longer 8.5 inch wide sheets. Because the terms are informal, always confirm the exact dimensions before printing.

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