Écu

With dimensions of 400mm x 520mm, the Écu format has a surface area of 208,000 sq mm or 0.208 sq meters. Écu translates from French as an ancient gold crown coin, referring to distinctive watermarks used when the size was crafted by hand. The monetary and regal connotations denote Écu's historical applications for ledgers, transactions, banknotes, legal documents, posters, and official government proclamations. Today it remains applicable for oversized record books, public announcements, commemorative prints, diplomas, maps, awards, and honorable documentation where extra grandeur is fitting. Although international ISO sizes now prevail across most paper production, Écu retains a resonant majesty - symbolic of vital written accounts bearing ceremonial weight. Much as elaborate insignias once heralded decrees between rulers and subjects with grandeur, so too does Écu parchment summon a special gravity. Artists, institutions, municipalities and lotteries nonetheless uphold the tradition by emblazoning Écu with the important declarations, accords, prizes and posterity pieces of today.