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From: eijkhout@s41.csrd.uiuc.edu (Victor Eijkhout)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript,comp.text
Subject: Re: Looking for official size of A4 paper
Message-ID: <1991Feb20.154825.18174@csrd.uiuc.edu>
Date: 20 Feb 91 15:48:25 GMT
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6sigma2@polari.UUCP (Brian Matthews) writes:

>I'm looking for the "official" size for A4 paper.  I've looked in
>three different places so far, and have three different answers.  Sigh.
>It appears to be around 21cm x 29.7cm, but I'd like the true size,
>if it is, in fact, standardized.

The figure you give is correct. 
Paper sizes in the A,B,C, and D series are DIN norms
(you can track them through the British or American -- I can't
see where you're from -- bureau of standards),
and as far as I know:

A0 has a surface of 1m^2 with a 2^.5 ratio between the
sides, meaning halfing a sheet Ai gives Ai+1 of the same shape.

B0 has sides 1m x 2^.5m

C, D: I don't know.

Victor.