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Old 05-17-2010, 09:15 AM   #136
scottjl
Reader of Books
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tomsem View Post
Hmm. Everyone agrees that printing is a waste, yet so many PDFs are still formatted for letter / A4 sized paper, as if everybody is going to print it. Why does this convention still rule?
blame it on the publishers. most PDF files are simply electronic format of print books and magazine or journal articles though. they are already set in size format for their print media. yes, the publisher could re-flow but then they would have to spend the time and money proofing the whole document again for formatting issues. making sure any graphics are correct, tables don't format strangely, the TOC is correct. why go through the expense? plus if someone has a print and electronic copy it is more convenient for them if they both share the same format for reference purposes.

I do have a very few books that exist in electronic format only that the publisher used a non standard size for, but they are the exception.
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