Re: Paper size

Edmund GRIMLEY EVANS wrote on 2002-05-02 16:30 UTC:
> Of course, it's not really 210x297mm; it's more like 210.224x297.302mm.

Actually no. The official standard paper sizes are by definition an
integral number of millimeters. These numbers were generated by the
algorithm in

  http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-paper.c

You will see that the rounding is an integral and propagating part of
the definition. The format series is *not* just:

  An = round(1000 * 2^{-1/4-n/2}) x round(1000 * 2^{1/4-n/2}) mm

[By the way, it is also a typographic convention to use a no-break space
between a number and a unit (ISO 31-0).]

For PostScript programmers, the ISO paper sizes in PostScript points:

  http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-paper-ps.txt

I know, off topic, but apparently of interest here.

More info:

  http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/iso-paper.html

Markus

-- 
Markus G. Kuhn, Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge, UK
Email: mkuhn at acm.org,  WWW: <http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~mgk25/>