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rfc:rfc2346

Network Working Group J. Palme Request for Comments: 2346 Stockholm University/KTH Category: Informational May 1998

              Making Postscript and PDF International

Status of this Memo

 This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does
 not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this
 memo is unlimited.

Copyright Notice

 Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998).  All Rights Reserved.

Abstract

 Certain text formats, for example Postscript (MIME-Type:
 application/postscript; file extension .ps) and Portable Document
 Format (MIME-Type: application/pdf; file extension .pdf) specify
 exactly the page layout of the printed document. The commonly used
 paper format is different in North America and the rest of the world.
 North 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 North 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 (0.8 in). If you are using A4 paper format, ensure
 that both the top and bottom margins are at least 33 mm (1.3 in).

Table of Contents

 1. Introduction                                                  2
 2. Two methods for printing on different paper formats           2
    2.1 Method 1: Use wider margins                               2
    2.2 Method 2: Print with reduced size                         3
    2.3 Method 3: Buy paper in the A4 size                        4
 3. Acknowledgements                                              4
 4. Security Considerations                                       4
 5. References                                                    4

Palme Informational [Page 1] RFC 2346 Making Postscript and PDF International May 1998

 6. Author's Address                                              5
 7. Full Copyright Statement                                      6

1. Introduction

 Certain text formats, for example Postscript (MIME-Type:
 application/postscript; file extension .ps) and Portable Document
 Format (MIME-Type: application/pdf;  file extension .pdf) specify
 exactly the page layout of the printed document. The commonly used
 paper format is different in North America and the rest of the world.
 North America uses the 'Letter' format, while the rest of the world
 uses the 'A4' format.
 The North American Letter format is 216 x 279 mm (8.5 x 11 in) while
 the ISO standardised A4 format is 210 x 297 mm (8.3 x 11.7 in). The
 Letter format is thus 6 mm (0.2 inches) wider, while the A4 format is
 18 mm (0.7 inches) taller.
 This means that documents formatted on one continent may not be
 printable on another continent. It is oboviously desirable that
 documents 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 for HTML developers in case they are using fixed-size
 graphics and fixed WIDTH sizes of objects in HTML documents.

2. Three 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 PDF orien- Suggested change Left Right Top Bottom

            tation      of margins

———— ———– —————– —– —– —– —– A4 Portrait Add 18 mm (0.7 20 mm 20 mm 33 mm 33 mm

           (upright,    inches) to the top 0.8"   0.8"   1.3"   1.3"
           vertical)    of page and bottom
                        of page margins

A4 Landscape Add 18 mm (0.7 33 mm 33 mm 15 mm 15 mm

           (lying,      inches) to the     1.3"   1.3"   0.6"   0.6"
           horizontal)  left and right
                        margins

Palme Informational [Page 2] RFC 2346 Making Postscript and PDF International May 1998

Letter Portrait Add 6 mm (0.2 20 mm 26 mm 15 mm 15 mm

           (upright,    inches) to the     0.8"   1.0"   0.6"   0.6"
           vertical)    right margins

Letter Landscape Add 6 mm (0.2 15 mm 15 mm 21 mm 21 mm

           (lying,      inches) to the top 0.6"   0.6"   0.8"   0.8"
           horizontal)  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. Left and right margins on any paper format
 should be at least 20 mm wide to accomodate filing with ISO 838 hole
 punches.
 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 PDF or Postscript files,
 the sender should 'print' with 100 % size, but when the recipient
 prints the PDF or Postscript files, and if the program for printing
 PDF 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 PDF format and then print it with
 the PDF printing program.  This requires, however, that the recipient
 has the Adobe Acrobat Distiller program, which is not freeware.
 Recent versions of the freeware ghostscript can also convert to PDF
 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 PDF 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.

Palme Informational [Page 3] RFC 2346 Making Postscript and PDF International May 1998

 In general, the authors of this RFC recommend PDF as the prefered
 formatted document distribution format over Postscript, not only
 because PDF printing programs typically feature a 'shrink to fit'
 option to handle different paper sizes elegantly, but also because
 PDF has built-in per page data compression, PDF files can be
 displayed without being fully downloaded, PDF is more portable, PDF
 has a better method of rendering fonts not available in the printer
 and PDF allows to embed URLs.

2.3 Method 3: Buy paper in the A4 size

 People in North America who often need to print international
 documents might choose to buy paper in the A4 size. It is available
 in the U.S. from many large paper distribution companies, and almost
 all laser printers support it.

3. Acknowledgements

 Markus Kuhn has provided many helpful suggestions on this document.
 Adobe, Acrobat, Distiller, Exchange and Postscript are trademarks of
 Adobe Systems Incorporated or its subsidiaries.

4. Security Considerations

 Adherence to the recommendations in this memo will increase the
 likelihood that a document will be readable, and look the same, to
 all recipients, and thus reduce the risk of misunderstanding. The
 recommendation does not in itself introduce any known new security
 risks. Of course, there might be a risk that reliance on the
 recommendations in this memo will make certain writers too sure that
 their documents will look the same.
 Postscript (TM) has well known security risks. These are discussed in
 [MIME].

5. References

 A4     Writing paper and certain classes of printed matter
        - Trimmed sizes - A and B series, International
        Standard ISO 216, International Organization for
        Standardization, Geneva, 1975.
 ANSI   Bond Papers and Index Bristols - Common Sheet Sizes,
        North American National Standard ANSI X3.151, North
        American National Standards Institute, 1987.

Palme Informational [Page 4] RFC 2346 Making Postscript and PDF International May 1998

 ISO    Paper - Holes for general filing purposes -
 838    Specifications, International Standard ISO 838,
        International Organization for Standardization,
        Geneva, 1974.
 Kuhn   Markus Kuhn: International Standard Paper Sizes.
        <URL:http://www.ft.uni-erlangen.de/~mskuhn/iso-
        paper.html>.
 PDF    Tim Bienz, Richard Cohn, James R. Mechan: Portable
        Document Format Reference Manual, Version 1.2, Adobe
        Systems Incorporated,
        <URL:http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/devrelation
        s/PDFS/TN/PDFSPEC.PDF>.
 MIME   Freed, N., and N. Borenstein, "Multipurpose Internet Mail
        Extensions (MIME) Part Two: Media Types", RFC 2046,
        November 1996.

6. Author's Address

 Jacob Palme
 Stockholm University and KTH
 Electrum 230
 S-164 40 Kista, Sweden
 Phone: +46-8-16 16 67
 Fax:   +46-8-783 08 29
 EMail: jpalme@dsv.su.se

Palme Informational [Page 5] RFC 2346 Making Postscript and PDF International May 1998

7. Full Copyright Statement

 Copyright (C) The Internet Society (1998).  All Rights Reserved.
 This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to
 others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it
 or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published
 and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any
 kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are
 included on all such copies and derivative works.  However, this
 document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing
 the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other
 Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of
 developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for
 copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be
 followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than
 English.
 The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be
 revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.
 This document and the information contained herein is provided on an
 "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING
 TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING
 BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION
 HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
 MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Palme Informational [Page 6]

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