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Network Working Group Jacob Palme
Internet Draft Stockholm University/KTH
draft-palme-int-print-02.txt Sweden
Category-to-be: Informational
Expires: February 1998 August 1997
Making Postscript and Acrobat Files International
Status of this Memo
This document is an Internet-Draft. Internet-Drafts are working
documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas, and
its working groups. Note that other groups may also distribute working
documents as Internet-Drafts.
Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material
or to cite them other than as ``work in progress.''
To learn the current status of any Internet-Draft, please check the
``1id-abstracts.txt'' listing contained in the Internet-Drafts Shadow
Directories on ftp.is.co.za (Africa), nic.nordu.net (Europe),
munnari.oz.au (Pacific Rim), ds.internic.net (US East Coast), or
ftp.isi.edu (US West Coast).
This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo
does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this
memo is unlimited.
Differences between version 01 and 02 of this document
Only minor revisions.
Abstract
Certain text formats, for example Postscript (extension .ps, Mime-type
application/postscript) and Adobe Acrobat (extension .pdf, Mime-type
application/pdf) specify exactly the page layout of the printed
document. The commonly used paper format is different in America and the
rest of the world. America uses the 'Letter' format, while the rest of
the world mostly uses the ISO-standard 'A4' format. This means that
documents formatted on one continent may not be easily printable on
another continent. This memo gives advice on how to produce documents
which are equally well printable with the Letter and the A4 formats. By
using the advice in this document, you can put up a document on the
Internet, which recipients can print without problem both in and outside
America.
A very short summary of the advice in this document: If you are using
U.S. Letter paper format, ensure that both the left and right margins
are at least 21 mm (0.82 inches). If you are using A4 paper format,
ensure that both the top and bottom margins are at least 33 mm (1.30
inches).
Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. Two methods for printing on different paper formats
2.1 Method 1: Use wider margins
2.2 Method 2: Print with reduced size
3. References
4. Author's Address
1. Introduction
Certain text formats, for example application/postscript (extension .ps)
and Adobe Acrobat (extension .pdf) specify exactly the page layout of
the printed document. The commonly used paper format is different in
America and the rest of the world. America uses the "Letter" format,
while the rest of the world uses the "A4" format.
The American Letter format is 8.5 x 11 inches (216 x 279 mm) while the
ISO standardised A4 format is 210 x 297 mm (8.27 x 11.69 inches). The
Letter format is thus 5 mm (0.19 inches) wider, while the A4 format is
19 mm (0.75 inches) taller.
This means that documents formatted on one continent may not be
printable on another continent. It is oboviously desirable that
documents put up on the Internet are printable on all continents. This
paper gives advice on how to achieve this.
This memo is not intended for HTML documents, but the advice may be of
value also of HTML developers in case they are using fixed-size graphics
and fixed WIDTH sizes of objects in HTML documents.
2. Two methods for printing on different paper formats
2.1 Method 1: Use wider margins
Paper format
you use when
converting
the document Suggested minimal margins
to Postscript Paper
or Acrobat orien- Suggested change Left Right Top Bot-
format tation of margins tom
------------ ----------- ----------------- ----- ----- ----- -----
A4 Portrait Add 18 mm (0.8 15 mm 15 mm 33 mm 33 mm
(upright, inches) to the top 0.59" 0.59" 1.38" 1.38"
vertical) of page and bottom
of page margins
A4 Landscape Add 18 mm (0.8 33 mm 33 mm 15 mm 15 mm
(lying, inches) to the 1.38" 1.38" 0.59" 0.59"
horizontal) left and right
margins
Letter Portrait Add 6 mm (0.2 21 mm 21 mm 15 mm 15 mm
(upright, inches) to the 0.82" 0.82" 0.59" 0.59"
vertical) left and right
margins
Letter Landscape Add 6 mm (0.2 15 mm 15 mm 21 mm 21 mm
(lying, inches) mm to the 0.59" 0.59" 0.82" 0.82"
horizontal) top of page and
bottom of page
margins
The reason why you have to add 18 respectively 6 mm to both the top and
the bottom margin is that you do not know what kind of printer the
recipient uses, and different printers feed paper in different ways,
requiring the margin to be added either at the top or the bottom of the
paper.
Note: Ensure that also headers, footers and page numbers are within the
suggested minimal margins. Many word processors put headers, footers and
page numbers outside the specified text margins.
2.2 Method 2: Print with reduced size
This is a method useful for the recipient of a document with the wrong
paper size: The recipient sets the printer to print with reduced size.
When the sender produces the Acrobat or Postscript files, the sender
should "print" with 100 % size, but when the recipient prints the
Acrobat or Postscript files, and if the program for printing Acrobat or
Postscript files allows this, the recipient should print the document
with 94 % or less of full size. Many programs for printing Postscript
files do not allow this. In that case, the recipient can convert a
Postscript document to Acrobat format and then print it with the Acrobat
printing program. This requires, however, that the recipient has the
Acrobat Distiller program, which is not freeware. Some versions of the
freeware ghostscript can also convert to Adobe Acrobat format. The user
may also have to specify the paper size as the actual paper size loaded
in the printer, not the paper size specified when the document was
converted to Acrobat or Postscript format.
It is also possible to edit the Postscript file, and add a scale command
to it, before sending it to the printer.
Method 2 can be more difficult for the recipient, who has to manage
these settings himself. However, manufacturers of printing software may
in the future make method 2 easier by making this service automatic,
perhaps controlled by a "shrink to fit paper size" checkbox in the
printing window and a "default shrink to fit paper size" preference
setting.
2.3 Method 3: Buy paper in the A4 size
People in America who often need to print European document might choose
to buy paper in the A4 size. It is available in the U.S. from many large
paper distribution company, and almost all laserprinters support it.
3. Acknowledgements
Markus Kuhn has provided helpful suggestions on this document.
4. References
Marcus Kuhn: International Standard Paper Sizes. URL http://www.ft.uni-
erlangen-de/~mskuhn/iso-paper.html.
5. Author's Address
Jacob Palme Phone: +46-8-16 16 67
Stockholm University and KTH Fax: +46-8-783 08 29
Electrum 230 E-mail: jpalme@dsv.su.se
S-164 40 Kista, Sweden