A historic British paper dimension measuring 20 by 15 inches in the broadsheet format. It forms the basis for a family of standard book sizes when folded, such as crown octavo or crown quarto. The name originates from the watermark of a crown used by early papermakers to identify this specific sheet size.
Heard on the job
We need a pallet of crown stock for the poetry run, since they want the traditional octavo trim.
Insider tip
Crown octavo (7.5 by 5 inches) remains a standard format for hardcover fiction in the UK.