1:1.414 ISO / Silver

1000 x 1414 px sRGB 1.41:1 portrait

A 1:√2 silver-ratio reference canvas. The proportion underlying the entire ISO A-paper series, where halving the rectangle on the long edge produces two rectangles of identical proportions.

about the size of a Full HD screen

About this size

The silver ratio is what makes the ISO paper system internally consistent. Cut an A4 sheet in half across the long edge and you get two A5 sheets at the same 1:√2 proportion; halve an A5 and you get two A6s; halve again for A7. The proportion preserves itself through scaling, which is why ISO 216 chose it as the basis for an entire international paper standard.

For layout work, the property is useful when designs need to scale or halve while keeping the same compositional feel. Cutting a square rectangle in half produces two squares; cutting a silver rectangle in half produces two silver rectangles.

A-series proportions
Posters
Balanced layouts

Pro tips

1 Useful for layouts that need to scale or halve while preserving proportion. The silver ratio is the only proportion with this property.
2 Slightly more elongated than 3:2; less elongated than the golden ratio. Sits between the two on the elongation spectrum.
3 The mathematical basis for the entire ISO paper series. Any work designed at this ratio scales cleanly to A-size paper output.