Carré

With neat dimensions of 450mm x 560mm, the Carré format has a surface area of 252,000 sq mm or 0.252 sq meters. Also known as the "Square Paper", the name Carré directly translates from French simply as "square". This descriptor is in reference to both the general quadrilateral outline of the size as well as early branding watermarks that depicted more angular geometric shapes. The straightforward name and watermarking reflects Carré's versatility over the centuries for a variety of general printing and stationery purposes not quite fitting other standard formats. Today the generalist Carré endures for specialty projects wanting an atypical shape like certificates, invitations, flyers, posters, school assignments, real estate plats and anything requiring a classic nonconformist French paper size. While international ISO specifications now dominate, Carré stays applicable for personalized jobs and conveying that familiar traditional gallic nonadherence to the norm. Graphic designers, architects, invitation makers and hobby publishers thus uphold Carré papers as a tribute to the format’s long symbolic rule-bending irreverence on conventionality.