# [tex-k] [reinhard.kotucha at web.de: Re: [texhax] can't control page size - why? (the real problem)]

Karl Berry karl at freefriends.org
Tue Apr 25 22:51:10 CEST 2006

Perhaps it would make sense to implement this (5bp) as dvips' criteria for
"close enough"?  Tomas, Akim?

(Thanks Reinhard!)

k

Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 22:35:12 +0200
From: Reinhard Kotucha <reinhard.kotucha at web.de>
To: karl at freefriends.org (Karl Berry)
Cc: toms at ncifcrf.gov, texhax at tug.org
Subject: Re: [texhax] can't control page size - why? (the real problem)

>>>>> "Karl" == Karl Berry <karl at freefriends.org> writes:

> By sheer coincidence (?), another fellow posted to Debian and
> thence to tex-k with the problem that dvips was "rounding" paper
> sizes to the closest "standard" size.  Perhaps that is happening
> here.  Just a wild guess ...

Maybe it's best to follow the rules for the /PageSize key in the
setpagedevice dictionary.  A4 paper will be chosen if you say

<</PageSize [595 842]>> setpagedevice

and the values of width and height do not differ by more than
$\pm$ 5 bp from a particular standard (known) paper size.

I do not know where the problem occurs, PostScript itself needs only
numbers and no rounding is needed.  Strings like (A4) are needed for
DSCs, but in this case it makes much sense if a particular paper size
is recognized as A4 if, and only if, it is recognized as A4 by
setpagedevice as well.