History of ISO 216

	Revision 2 . . November 27, 2001 4:27 am by Drj [links, + removed inferior as I did not think it NPOV]
	Revision 1 . . November 25, 2001 12:29 pm by (logged).109.250.xxx

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Difference (from prior major revision) (no other diffs)

Changed: 1c1

ISO 216 specifies international standard paper sizes, used in most countries in the world today. The standard was originally adopted in Germany in 1922, although some of the formats contained therein were independently invented in France during the Revolution and later forgotten.

ISO 216 specifies international standard paper sizes, used in most countries in the world today. It is the standard which defines the well known A4 paper size. The standard was originally adopted by DIN in Germany in 1922, although some of the formats contained therein were independently invented in France during its revolution and later forgotten.

Changed: 3c3

ISO 216 defines three series of paper sizes, A, B and C. Series C is primarily used for envelopes.

ISO 216 defines three series of paper sizes: A, B and C. Series C is primarily used for envelopes.

Changed: 9c9

Prior to the adoption of ISO 216 worldwide, many different paper formats were used internationally. These formats did not fit into a coherent system and were defined in terms of non-metric units. The ISO 216 formats are organized around the ratio 1:sqrt(2), thereby greatly simplifying magnification during copying; magnifying during copying with other paper formats is more difficult. The main holdbacks in this area are the United States and Canada, which continue to use the inferior Letter, Legal, and Executive system (Canada uses a P-series of sizes, which are nothing more than the US paper sizes rounded to metric dimensions).

Prior to the adoption of ISO 216 worldwide, many different paper formats were used internationally. These formats did not fit into a coherent system and were defined in terms of non-metric units. The ISO 216 formats are organized around the ratio 1:sqrt(2), thereby greatly simplifying magnification during copying; magnifying during copying with other paper formats is more difficult. The main holdbacks in this area are the United States of America and Canada, which continue to use the Letter, Legal, and Executive system (Canada uses a P-series of sizes, which are nothing more than the US paper sizes rounded to metric dimensions).