Manga Page Size: B6, A5, B5 and Digital Sizes in mm and Pixels
Tankobon are B6 (128 x 182 mm), doujinshi A5 or B5, US editions 5 x 7.5 in. Every manga size in mm, inches and pixels, the manuscript frames, and what to draw at.
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The sizes manga is printed at
Japanese books follow the JIS paper series, so manga sizes are B and A sizes rather than the inch trims US comics use. The finished book is almost always smaller than the page it was drawn on; the drawing is reduced when it goes to print, which is part of why printed manga lines look so clean.
| Size | mm | Inches | What it is used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| B6 (tankobon) | 128 x 182 | 5.04 x 7.17 | The collected volume on the shelf: most shonen and shojo series. |
| A6 (bunko) | 105 x 148 | 4.13 x 5.83 | Pocket reissues of finished series. |
| Shinsho | 103 x 182 | 4.06 x 7.17 | A tall, narrow volume some publishers use instead of B6. |
| A5 | 148 x 210 | 5.83 x 8.27 | Seinen and josei volumes, art-led series, most doujinshi. |
| B5 | 182 x 257 | 7.17 x 10.12 | Weekly and monthly magazines, larger doujinshi. |
| A4 | 210 x 297 | 8.27 x 11.69 | Art books and illustration collections. |
English editions do not use these. Viz, Kodansha and the other North American publishers print at inch trims that sit near B6 without matching it: 5 x 7.5 in (127 x 191 mm) is the usual one, with 5.5 x 8.25 in (140 x 210 mm) for larger editions. If a US printer is making your book, start from its trim list rather than from 128 x 182 mm, which no US press stocks; the comic page sizes post has the full list of inch trims.
The page you draw on is bigger than the book
Japanese manuscript paper (genko yoshi) is sold in two sizes and both are printed with frames. The outer line is the finished size the page will be cut to, and the inner line, the basic frame, is where panels and lettering must stay to be safe from the trim and the gutter. Art that bleeds runs past the finished line.
| Paper | Sheet | Finished size line | Basic frame | Printed at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional (toko-yo) | B4, 257 x 364 mm | 220 x 310 mm | 180 x 270 mm | Reduced to B5 magazine (about 83%), then smaller again for the B6 volume |
| Doujinshi (dojinshi-yo) | A4, 210 x 297 mm | 182 x 257 mm (B5) | 150 x 220 mm | B5 at full size, or reduced to A5 (about 82%) |
So a professional page is drawn at 220 x 310 mm and read at 128 x 182 mm, under 60% of the size it was drawn at. Fine hatching and small lettering survive that reduction; they would not survive being drawn at the book size and enlarged. Draw big, print small.
Questions
What size is a tankobon?
B6, 128 x 182 mm (5.04 x 7.17 in). Pocket bunko reissues are A6, 105 x 148 mm, and larger seinen volumes are A5, 148 x 210 mm.
What size should I draw manga at?
Larger than the book. Professional pages are drawn at 220 x 310 mm with a 180 x 270 mm frame and reduced for print; doujinshi pages at 182 x 257 mm with a 150 x 220 mm frame. Digitally, use those sizes at 600 DPI for monochrome and 350 DPI for colour.
What is a manga page in pixels?
A B6 page with 3 mm bleed is 3166 x 4441 px at 600 DPI, 1847 x 2591 px at 350 DPI and 1583 x 2221 px at 300 DPI. A5 with bleed is 3638 x 5103 px at 600 DPI.