Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!hpcc05!hparc0!dak
From: dak@hparc0.HP.COM (Dave Kruger)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: a4.sty & article.sty
Message-ID: <1390003@hparc0.HP.COM>
Date: 6 Jun 91 03:15:43 GMT
References: <1991Jun5.110328.10194@mulga.cs.mu.OZ.AU>
Organization: HP Australasian Response Centre (Melbourne)
Lines: 69

/ hparc0:comp.text.tex / massa@uni-paderborn.de (Michael Janich) /  1:00 am  Jun  6, 1991 /
krooglik@ecr.mu.oz.au writes:

> >! Melbourne, Australia
> 
> Why do you need a German size in Australia?
> 
> -- 
> 
>    Michael Janich, Uni Paderborn, United Germany

Strewth!  Talk about a "Sydney or the Bush" attitude!  A4 is *not* a German
size.  It is an international metric paper size recommended by the
International Standards Organisation.  (And used by most sensible countries as
their standard paper size :-)                                 ^^^^^^^^

Seriously though, A4 paper is derived from A0 paper.  There are several A paper
sizes, all derived from the basic A0 size,  as follows:

	A0 - 1189 mm x 841 mm
	A1 - is half A0
	A2 - is half A1, and so on down to A7 size.

The diagram below represents an A0 sheet.  (It's not to scale, but you'll get
the idea.)

	------------------------------
	|                            |
	|                            |
	|                            |
	|                            |
	|            A1              |
	|                            |
	|                            |
	|                            |
	|                            |
	------------------------------
	|             |              |
	|             |              |
	|             |              |
	|             |      A3      |
	|             |              |
	|             |              |
	|             |              |
	|     A2      |--------------|
	|             |       |      |
	|             |       |  A5  |
	|             |       |      |
	|             |  A4   |------|
	|             |       |   |A7|
	|             |       | A6|--|
	|             |       |   |A7|
	------------------------------

The standard also allows for larger sizes, but here the number precedes the
letter: 2A is twice A0.

German size indeed.   Hurrumph!   :-) :-)

"Strewth", "Sydney or the Bush", and other Australian idiom explained on
request.

Cheers,

Dave Kruger
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