Quarto

The Quarto book format has dimensions of approximately 8.5" x 11" (215mm x 280mm). With a surface area of around 93.5 square inches or 603 square centimeters, the Quarto is one of the larger and more common book sizes. It is close to the size of US trade paperbacks and is frequently used for hardcover nonfiction books, textbooks, and reference works. The Quarto format is sometimes referred to as Medium Quarto or just Quarto, and its origins trace back to early modern printing when 4 leaves of paper (or 8 book pages) were folded into a single quarto signature. Especially popular in the United Kingdom, the Quarto remains a versatile book size that provides ample room for printing text and images legibly across its pages. The surface area allows books at just under 400 pages printed on both sides while remaining a portable size. The Quarto strikes a usable balance between being compact enough yet large enough for presenting detailed information to readers.