8vo (design)

In the context of graphic design and printing, 8vo (octavo) refers to a page size resulting from folding a standard-sized sheet of paper three times. This results in eight leaves, or sixteen pages, per sheet. The specific dimensions of an 8vo page vary depending on the original sheet size used (e.g., Letter, A4, Crown, etc.). Therefore, 8vo describes a format rather than a precisely defined measurement.

Historically, 8vo has been a common format for books, pamphlets, and other printed materials due to its practicality for both printing and handling. Its size makes it suitable for a variety of content, and its relatively economical use of paper contributes to its cost-effectiveness. The term is also used loosely to describe any book or document roughly of that size, even if the precise page dimensions deviate slightly from a perfect octavo division of a standard sheet. The term "octavo" is interchangeable with "8vo."