Re: Different Formats for Different Countries -- Variable Density

In article <454688ce$0$13828$822641b3@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
David Nebenzahl  <nobody@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>(Unless, of course, you're a 
>paper manufacturer or wholesaler and have to figure ****pping costs or 
>something.)

That's why metric works so well. It also works for the 'unless of course'
cases.

>>>Even carpenters and cabinetmakers, who one would imagine would have
more 
>>>op****tunities to divide a length into equal parts which might 
>>>conceivably be easier with metric measures, happily, easily and 
>>>accurately use feet, inches and fractions of inches. Also not likely to

>>>change in the forseeable future.
>> 
>> And I guess they also buy their wood in inches?
>
>Yep. 2x4s (nominally 2 x 4", actually 1-1/2" x 3-1/2" due to planing), 
>and almost everything flat comes in 4x8' sheets.

So, they do have to constantly convert between inches and feet. 
That is why metric was invented.

>> So what is one bigger than tabloid of one smaller than letter?
>
>If I understand your question, that would be 17 x 22", long a standard 
>size of paper.

Ah, so you do have a perfectly rational series of paper based on factors
of two, but instead of keeping a constant aspect ratio, you have to deal
with a more complicated system.

Thinking about, it looks like a missed op****tunity to switch to a sqrt(2)
aspect ratio in digital cameras. Sqrt(2) is sort of the average between
4/3 and 3/2, and you can print to ISO standard paper without cropping.


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