On Fri, 30 Nov 2007, Paul Scott wrote:

"Michael Hoffman" wrote in message
...

Oh, hang on, it's something called ISO 7810:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_7810

Which has a side ratio of 1.5857725083364209ish. Right, that's that
sorted. Disregard this.

Where did that size come from? It's not an A-series size.

Well, I notice that 2.125" * 4 = 8.5", which is the standard letter-size
paper width in the U.S., and would also be the width of many continuous
form printers.

I suggest the ID-1 identification/credit card format derives from
business cards printed in a 4x4 layout on foolscap folio, ie 8.5 x 13.5
inches giving 2.125 x 3.375...

That's got to be it. It's too precise a fit to be anything else. Well
spotted!

tom

--
taxidermy, high tide marks, sabotage, markets, folklore, subverting, .