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What Size Is SRA2 Paper?
SRA stands for 'supplementary raw (format) A' and is an industry-standard term for paper slightly larger than its comparable format (in this case, A2 paper).
Commercial print machines, unlike desktop printers, don't print edge to edge. Instead, items like custom flyers are printed in multiples on larger sheets, with white edges, then trimmed to size using a large guillotine.
What Size Is SRA2 Paper In Millimetres Or Inches?
The SRA2 paper size is 640 mm x 450 mm (25.19 x 17.72 inches), double an SRA3 sheet, which is 450 mm x 320 mm. This comfortably fits a single A2 poster, or 2 A3 posters, or 4 A4 leaflets or even 8 A5 leaflets on, meaning a large volume of leaflet printing can be produced at once, reducing 'time on press'.
Large litho machines taking SRA2 sized paper usually run at up to 15,000 sheets per hour, so can print almost 3 million A5 leaflets in a full day's work. In comparison, a current desktop colour printer would produce 20ppm (prints per minute), which equates to just 28,800 running 24 hours per day. This would also be at a much higher cost, due to the cost involved with small toner cartridges.
Litho Printed Brochure Pages Are Imposed Together
If you remove the staples/stitch from a printed brochure and take the pages apart, you will find each sheet contains 4 pages on a single A3 (420x297mm) sheet.
It's likely that 8 pages or more were actually printed on a large litho press, then folded and trimmed into four-page sections. A4 stitched brochures are not possible to manufacture from small A4 sheets, meaning that stitched brochure printing cannot be formed on a desktop printer.
Is It Time Consuming To Impose Documents On A Sheet?
With today's technology and frequent software updates, the imposing of documents is automated. Most PDF files set up with printers' ticks and bleed can be repeated on a larger sheet in seconds. Time on press is expensive, so imposition software is imperative to print firms.
Are There Other Paper Sizes Like This?
The other industry-standard paper size worth mentioning is SRA3 size. SRA3 paper measures 450 mm x 320mm, while regular A3 is 420 mm x 297 mm.
