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

. Introduction
. Two methods for printing on different paper formats
   2.1 Method 1: Use wider margins
   2.2 Method 2: Print with reduced size
. References
. Author's Address


.    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
 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.


.    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.


.    Acknowledgements

Markus Kuhn has provided helpful suggestions on this document.


.    References

Marcus Kuhn: International Standard Paper Sizes. URL http://www.ft.uni-
erlangen-de/~mskuhn/iso-paper.html.


.    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