People say "global standard" when talking about worldwide benchmarks. A standard means a "norm." Standards are a pact that spans the economy, industry, and technology. Technological progress can create a need for "standards," but a single standard can also drive a leap of revolutionary scale. Based on a survey of experts from industry, academia, research, and the media, the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards and ChosunBiz selected the "top 10 standards that changed the world" and the "top 10 standards that changed the lives and economy of Koreans," and reexamine the role of standards. [Editor's note]
"A final statement the length of 40 sheets of A4 paper," "a three-sheet apology on A4 paper." It is common to see the words or writings of people involved in high-profile cases quantified by the number of A4 sheets. That is possible because most people know the size of A4 paper.
A4 is a paper size measuring 21 cm wide by 29.7 cm long. Among the 11 sizes starting with A, it is the size obtained by cutting the largest, A0 (84.1 cm wide by 118.9 cm long), in half four times. The A4 length ended up as an awkward 29.7 cm, not 29 cm, because of its ratio. From A0 to A10, the width-to-length ratio is the same at 1 to √2. It was devised so that documents would not be distorted when paper is enlarged or reduced.
This size is based on what Germany's standardization body, the Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN), created in 1922. German engineers at the time reportedly grappled with how to solve the problem of waste created during printing because each print shop used different paper sizes. They solved this problem using a mathematical approach.
When A4 became an international standard in 1975, printing efficiency improved worldwide. As more consumers used A4-size paper, print shops no longer needed to stock separate papers of various sizes. Corporations, schools, and public institutions could easily exchange all kinds of reports and notices. Printers, copiers, binders, envelopes, and other printing-related supplies were also produced to fit the A4 standard.
Among major countries around the world, the United States and Canada are known not to use the A4 size. The two countries stick to their own Letter size. The basic Letter size corresponding to A4 is 8.5 inches (21.59 cm) wide by 11 inches (27.94 cm) long. The A4 size is based on meters, but the United States and Canada are said to be more familiar with inches than meters.