A5 is 148 × 210mm — half an A4 page. DL is 99 × 210mm — one third of an A4, the long narrow format. They are the same height and cost similar money, which is exactly why the choice is not obvious.
Three questions that settle it
1. Is it going in an envelope?
DL was designed to fit a standard DL envelope with no folding. If you are mailing, that alone usually decides it — an A5 in a DL envelope has to be folded, which adds a finishing step and a crease across your artwork.
2. How much do you actually need to say?
A5 gives you roughly 50% more area per side. If the flyer carries a price list, a menu, several products or a map, that space is the difference between readable and cramped. If it carries one offer and a phone number, DL is cleaner and you are not paying for empty paper.
3. Where does it end up?
DL sits neatly in a counter display, a brochure rack and a back pocket. A5 does not fit a standard rack, but it is harder to lose in a letterbox full of other paper and it is easier to read at arm's length.
What is identical between them
- Same stocks: gloss, silk, uncoated, Knight and Eco Uncoated.
- Same printing: full colour, one side or both.
- Same minimum: 25 flyers.
- Same turnaround: 3–5 business days from proof approval.
If you genuinely cannot decide
Print both. The minimum order on flyers is 25, which is low enough that running a small batch of each and seeing which one gets picked up is a real option rather than a theoretical one. Compare the live price for each at our flyer range.
Whichever you choose, build the artwork at trim size plus 3mm bleed and keep text 4mm inside the trim edge — see our design guidelines.