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What is the origin of 8 1/2" x 11" paper?
Seriously, who decided that would be a good size?
It's not like it could be a conversion from metric, because it is EXACTLY 8 1/2" wide.
Is there some significance to this size?
1 Answer
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
The 8.5" x 11" size stems from the original size of a vat that was used to make paper. At the time, paper was made from passing a fiber and water slurry through a screen at the bottom of a box. The box was 17" deep and 44" wide. That sheet, folded in half in the long direction, then twice in the opposite direction, made a sheet of paper that was exactly 8.5" x 11".
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