3 ms·
I'd argue that the International Standard Paper Sizes system is a case where a clever idea has been promoted beyond what is beneficial. There are a lot of use c
by wrp 6y ago
I'd argue that the International Standard Paper Sizes system is a case where a clever idea has been promoted beyond what is beneficial. There are a lot of use cases where the standard sizes are not optimal. I personally find the US Letter size handier than the A4, and 3x5 inch is vastly more convenient than A6 for index cards and pocket memo books. In Japan, most "B5" notebooks I see are actually considerably off standard in the measurements.
- teambayleaf 6y agoJapan's "B5" originated from the official paper size in Edo-Tokugawa era. So it has quite a bit of history, and IMO it's handier than ISO papers. A fun fact is that "letter" size is pretty much hated in Asian countries. Since many poorly-internationalized softwares choose "letter" as the default printing size, while its usage is virtually zero there.
- tasogare 6y agoYet in Japan there is a crazy number of different paper size and color, especially all the various slips used for bills and by the administration. The "post card bill" is also particularly annoying since once opened they don’t get flat again.
- Symbiote 6y ago"Letter" size is only used in the USA, Canada and (sometimes) Mexico. It's not just east Asia that can be annoyed by American defaults, but the whole world.
- el-salvador 6y agoIt is also used in Guatemala,El Salvador,Honduras,Nicaragua and Costa Rica. It gets interesting when we start mixing imperial,metric and colonial measures.
- Koshkin 6y agoI agree that the slightly wider and shorter page of the US Letter format seems more convenient in practice.