Paper format and printing margin?

[Cergorach]

Paper format
I've been working on some OGC projects that will need to be finalized very soon, one of my problems is paper format, half my target audience uses the Letter format, the other half uses the A4 format. My initial plan was to work with both formats, thus making a Letter version and an A4 version, i've come to realize that besides creating a lot more work, it also creates some other problems such as one document in multiple formats. People downloading both because they think they are a little different (creates more bandwith usage), a bigger administrative mess, etc. So i decided to create a Universal format, a size that fits on both Letter and A4 formats:

Universal = 8.2677" x 11" (21cm x 27.94cm)

Letter = 8.5" x 11" (21.59cm x 27.94cm)
A4 = 21cm x 29.7cm (8.2677" x 11.6929")

Printing margin
I've got access to better printing equipment than most, so i generally don't suffer from a printing margin. So i designed a graphic header that didn't take the printing margin into account (look here: http://www.thehelix.nl/Epic_Spells.pdf ), what is my safest bet on printing margin size? I'm not looking for an inch of printing margin (to much lost space), just enough so that 90% of my target audience will be able to print the page without a graphic getting cut off.

 

[Dimwhit]

I can't say for sure, but I think you'd be very safe with a 1/2" margin. But most modern printers (at least inkjet) will print out to at least 1/4" margin. But I'd probably go with 1/2" to play it safe.

But don't forget, when printing Acrobat, it has a feature that automatically shrinks the page to the printable margin when it prints. And I believe that feature it turned on by default. So if you had no margins at all, then when the page was printed from Acrobat, you still wouldn't lose anything, because the whole page would shrink slightly to accomodate.

So now that I think about it, don't worry about the margins. (You just might include a note for people to check that option in their copy of Adobe Reader.)

 

[Cergorach]

But don't forget, when printing Acrobat, it has a feature that automatically shrinks the page to the printable margin when it prints. And I believe that feature it turned on by default. So if you had no margins at all, then when the page was printed from Acrobat, you still wouldn't lose anything, because the whole page would shrink slightly to accomodate.

So now that I think about it, don't worry about the margins. (You just might include a note for people to check that option in their copy of Adobe Reader.)

That's exactly what i didn't want to do, i actually intend to write an acrobat reader instruction that tells people to actually turn that feature off by default, because it deforms the document.

 

[jmucchiello]

That's exactly what i didn't want to do, i actually intend to write an acrobat reader instruction that tells people to actually turn that feature off by default, because it deforms the document.

Then you are stuck with doing the two formats. What are you doing that it REALLY matters if the page is deformed? It's not like Reader turns documents into funhouse mirror images. It's just a slight ratio thing. You are printing text. Who will know that the letters are taller than you intend?

 

[RCanning]

That's exactly what i didn't want to do, i actually intend to write an acrobat reader instruction that tells people to actually turn that feature off by default, because it deforms the document.

Most printers these days work well with a 1cm margin.

As someone in an A4 country, I have had some issues with printing pdfs I have purchased online. To be honest, I tend to get the best performance from US letter documents with a 1/2" margin; and then telling Acrobat to not re-size the document. Sure, I get some white-space at the top and bottom, but I can live with that.

I have access to edge to edge printers, so mostly it does not faze me, but as I have been looking at doing some pdfs myself, this is a question that has been concerning me. I am used to working in A4, and I do not know how well that converts to US Letter, but I do know it works fine the other way.

Thanks for asking this very important question that most people seem to just ignore.

Richard Canning

 

[Dimwhit]

Thanks for asking this very important question that most people seem to just ignore.

I have to admit, I never even considered it before. I do my PDF layout in standard US letter format, but I know there are many international readers. But I have a 1/2" margin, and I haven't had any complaints about the layout size, so I guess people don't mind. But doing two different layouts is just not doable. But if someone comes up with a great compromise, please post it here!

 

[Cergorach]

I have to admit, I never even considered it before. I do my PDF layout in standard US letter format, but I know there are many international readers. But I have a 1/2" margin, and I haven't had any complaints about the layout size, so I guess people don't mind. But doing two different layouts is just not doable. But if someone comes up with a great compromise, please post it here!

Universal = 8.2677" x 11" (21cm x 27.94cm)
Takes the smallest width from A4 and the smallest hight from Letter ;-)

 

[RCanning]

Rethink due to recent experience.

Printing Margin ...what is my safest bet on printing margin size? I'm not looking for an inch of printing margin (to much lost space), just enough so that 90% of my target audience will be able to print the page without a graphic getting cut off.

I was just doing some edits to a couple of downloaded modules for me to run for my players this weekend, and I was reminded of this thread.

I have two modules that I purchased as pdf and printed and bound. They were both printed in A4 from US Letter originals, telling the printer to "shrink to fit". The first had not much border, so I ended up with about 2cm. The second had something that left me with just over an inch on all sides.

At first impression the first one was better formatted than the second, but this has turned out to be exactly wrong. Because both of these were modules, I have been redoing stats and making minor modifications, and with the one with the 2cm border I just do not have enough room. With the latter, there is heaps of room for me to make notes and stat changes, and I can see what it relates to and it does not look too cluttered.

I would suggest using US Letter with about a 2cm margin if you are doing adventures - definately no less than 1.5cm. Of course, this probably does not hold true for sourcebooks.

Richard Canning

 

[Staffan]

I would prefer to see inner margins of at least 2 cm, because otherwise there's not enough room to punch holes in the papers, put them in a cheap plastic binder and still be able to flip through the book comfortably. I recently posted a complaint about this very thing in a thread below.