Defining default paper size.

Ejzardain wrote:
... My question is if I can make something so all the templates are defined in US Letter size.

Try get into *System Preferences* under Apple menu. Then go to *Print & Fax*. Set +Default Paper Size in Page Setup+ into *US Letter*.

-MCM

I have the same problem. Every time I have to print something I need to change the paper layout because it was in A4 and not us US Letter. Is there a way to make this the default paper?

Thanks!

Weird, so both Canada and Mexico are forced to use USA paper sizes, despite being metric?

The measurements are still metric though?

Does this affect any other Central American countries?

That doesn't seem to work. I have US Letter as the default Paper Size in Print & Fax. However, I also have Australia set in the International preference. This limited my garage band store choices too. I like day/month/year!! I may try using US and custom date format...

That seemed to help the page size problem but the custom date format doesn't work in Numbers? 3/11/09 is 'translated' to 11-Mar-09. Just to confuse 14/3/09 translates to 14 Mar 09 but 2/3/09 changes to 3 Feb 09. Maybe its time for a bug report.

It appears that Pages gets the default page size from System Preferences>International>Formats.

If the Region is set to US, you get US Letter size documents, including templates.

It doesn't seem to matter what size you've selected in the Print & Fax preferences.

I live in Spain but use my Canadian Region settings in the international pane. As a result, all my new Pages documents used the US Letter paper size by default and I had to manually change it to A4 every time. I never found a perfect solution but the easiest work around I found was to change the default currency in the International pane to Euros and suddenly all the pages documents opened in A4 and all my other Canadian formats (dates, time, numbers...) were maintained.
PS: I am using Pages 08

I posted, in the Pages '08 forum, a script doing the reverse task.

Here is one allowing us to enable/disable the 'trad' templates.

--[SCRIPT disable EnableTrad]{code)
(*
Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, FRANCE)
le 10 novembre 2008
2009/04/11 for iWork '09
*)
--=====

property resetTrad : false
(*
false = disable Trad paper size
true = enable Trad paper size
*)

property myKey : "onStrike_"
property lesDossiers : {}

--=====

on run
set p2a to (path to applications folder) as Unicode text
my traite(p2a & "iWork '09:Pages.app:Contents:Resources:Templates:")
my traite(p2a & "iWork '09:Numbers.app:Contents:Resources:Templates:")
set my lesDossiers to {} (* vide la 'property' pour ne pas l'enregistrer *)
end run

--=====

on traite(dossier)
local theExt, f
if (dossier as Unicode text) contains "Numbers.app" then
set theExt to "nmbtemplate"
else
set theExt to "template"
end if

tell application "Finder"
set my lesDossiers to entire contents of folder dossier as alias list
repeat with f in my lesDossiers
if name extension of f is theExt then my traitePaquet(f)
end repeat
end tell
end traite

--=====

on traitePaquet(ff)
if resetTrad is true then
my enable(ff as Unicode text)
else
my disable(ff as Unicode text)
end if
end traitePaquet

--=====

on disable(f)
local f_trad, n
tell application "Finder"
if exists file (f & "index_iso.xml.gz") then
set f_trad to f & "index_trad.xml.gz"
if exists file f_trad then
set n to name of file f_trad
set name of file f_trad to (myKey & n)
end if
end if
end tell -- Finder
end disable

--=====

on enable(f)
local f_trad, n
tell application "Finder"
set f_trad to f & myKey & "index_trad.xml.gz"
if exists file f_trad then
set n to name of file f_trad
try
set name of file f_trad to text (1 + (length of myKey)) thru -1 of n
end try
end if
end tell -- Finder
end enable

--=====
--[/SCRIPT]{code}

Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE samedi 11 avril 2009 19:35:59)

"Weird, so both Canada and Mexico are forced to use USA paper sizes, despite being metric?
The measurements are still metric though?
"

More practical than weird (for Canada), Peter, as the paper sold in the stores is US Letter, US Legal and Ledger (11x17") size. A lot of it has to do with an integrated market (and office furniture sized to fit US Letter and US Legal paper).

Plywood is 19mm thick, but a full sheet is still 4 x 8 feet, and a 8 foot 2x4 stud is still 1 1/2 inches thick, 3 1/2 inches wide and 92 5/8 inches long.

Regards,
Barry

Barry wrote:
More practical than weird (for Canada), Peter, as the paper sold in the stores is US Letter, US Legal and Ledger (11x17") size. A lot of it has to do with an integrated market (and office furniture sized to fit US Letter and US Legal paper).

Hi Barry

Why are you continuing to apply the formula "Apple Legal" to a format which is not legal ?

The legal paper size is A4, one of the ISO standardized paper sizes.
The size which are used in the USA are illegal ones and I wish that every other countries reject every document printed on your illegal formats.

Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE dimanche 12 avril 2009 18:18:41)

"Why are you continuing to apply the formula "Apple Legal" to a format which is not legal ?
The legal paper size is A4, one of the ISO standardized paper sizes.
The size which are used in the USA are illegal ones and I wish that every other countries reject every document printed on your illegal formats."


Hi Yvan,

"Illegal"?

I doubt there's any US law prohibiting their use in that country, and if there is such a law here in Canada, it's being openly flouted by every business supply and stationery store in the country. 😉

"US Legal" (or more commonly, just "legal") is a label applied to a (US) standard paper size. The name reflects the most common use of that size of paper—legal documents such as deeds and wills. These are generally folded in half, then in half again to form a folded document that will fit into a standard size (No. 10) envelope.

"US Letter (or just "letter") also gets it's name from its most common use—(business) letters. Folded in thirds, it fits the same No. 10 envelope.

Regards,
Barry

Barry,

I think Yvan is getting "Standard" and "Legal" mixed up.

You may be able to answer a question I asked here previously but which never got an answer.

I am trying to create templates. Those for the International standards are easy and straight forward. Those for the US/Canadian/Mexican non standard stationary are not.

Q1. Which I think you have answered, is that +US Letter+ is folded into 3 to fit the +#10 envelope+. An obvious issue is that this is somewhat narrow and would float around in a window face envelope. Is there a standard method of folding the letter to stop this?

Q2. We use a thing called a +With Compliments Slip+ which is 1/3rd or 1/4 A4 and is added where a quick note is attached to other enclosed material. Does such a beast exist in North America and if so what size is it?

Thanks,

Peter

David Bourne wrote:
That doesn't seem to work. I have US Letter as the default Paper Size in Print & Fax. However, I also have Australia set in the International preference. This limited my garage band store choices too. I like day/month/year!! I may try using US and custom date format...

You don't need to change your country to change the date order. That can be done in your preferences as a custom setting.

Whilst I agree that the American date order is by far the worst and most illogical of all the formats, I use the Japanese Year/Month/Day order as this is most logical and sorts all material in ascending order, right to left, as it should,

Peter

"Q1. Which I think you have answered, is that US Letter is folded into 3 to fit the #10 envelope. An obvious issue is that this is somewhat narrow and would float around in a window face envelope. Is there a standard method of folding the letter to stop this?
Q2. We use a thing called a With Compliments Slip which is 1/3rd or 1/4 A4 and is added where a quick note is attached to other enclosed material. Does such a beast exist in North America and if so what size is it?"

A1. Not that I know of, although it's certainly possible using machine folding. If it's done, the excess is likely put on the top third, and that section carries the addresses. I've not had occasion to use machine folding (nor have I used window envelopes except for the No. 9 or 9 1/2 size enclosed as SASEs in material I've received).

A2. I don't know that such a size is available here. I suspect anyone having a need for this size either has it printed and cut at a print or copy shop, or does it in house, depending on quantity.

Regards,
Barry