Metric Default

[Andrew31671736gg8u]

Most of the world uses the metric system. When will Adobe allow us to select metric when installing the creative suite and for all the defaults to be metric? That would get rid of the default file size in InDesign being US Letter - even the UK uses A4!!!

[D. Schulte]

You can change the settings from inch to millimeter once for the future and after you used a DIN-format as document format InDesign will rember. What bothers you the most, maybe we can find a solution?

[rob day]

Hi @Andrew31671736gg8u , The InDesign defaults are user defined.

To set the default Ruler Units for new documents to metric, close all documents and set your Units & Increments Ruler Units to Centimeters or Millimeters. To change the default Document Preset to A4 choose File>New>Document..., set the Page Size to A4, click the Save Document Preset icon and Save Preset As Default and click Ok, and then Yes when asked to replace:

Keep in mind that most InDesign Preferences can be either Appliction or Document specific. If you set a preference with no documents open the preference is used for all future documents. If you set a preference with a document open, the preference is used for that document only.

[Randy Hagan]

As others intimate, it's kind of a two step manual process:

Step 1: Open the Adobe applications you use. Do not open any document files in those applications. Go to the Preferences menu command — found in the Application (InDesign) pull-down menu on Macs, at the bottom of the Edit pull-down menu on Windows systems. Navigate your way to the Units and Increments Preferences section and choose either Millimeters or Centimeters options, as you prefer. Then click the OK button.

This will tell your Adobe apps to define all new documents you create in metric terms. But as reported here, will have no impact on existing documents that use other units of measurement. Because measurement settings are document-centric. Changing the default measurements only tells your Adobe applications to apply those document-centric settings to any new documents. Which brings us to ...

Step 2: When you open an existing document which uses measures that offend you, change measurement settings for the document using the steps above to change to metric measurements. Realize that when you're changing settings in existing documents, others who created them may take the same offense you have to what tick marks are on the document rulers.

Jus' sayin'

Randy

[Willi Adelberger]

When InDesign is installed in Languages with metric as standard (like French or German) the metric is standard. You can go to the preferences when no document is open. But font size should always be in the inch system, as 12pt=1p, 6p=1inch.

But even if you do not have set to metric, you can insert in any field any system number with the unit. The abreviation of the units is different in each language version, like inch="=z=i depending on the language.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

"Most of the world uses the metric system."

True, and that includes a good part of US industry, although we do stick to our odd paper sizes. 

I'd just mildly argue that most publication pros use picas and points, as the sensible choice for that application. 🙂

[Randy Hagan]

I set InDesign that way, but must confess that I use inch-measure in AI and Pshop.

But I've had a couple clients ask me to save their InDesign files in inch-measure before I deliver jobs back to them. I tell 'em that working in points is just like counting with your fingers ... if you also take off your left shoe.

Randy

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Inches or pixels make sense (for USAians, at least) when it's actual measuring. When it's fitting type, which is measured in points regardless of the local scale of measuring the king's nose or whatever... it makes sense to use points and their relative cousin picas.

[Andrew31671736gg8u]

I already knew how to change documents to mm, what I think is needed is one that changes it all when I install. ie, controlled through Creative Cloud.

I'd love to see the stats on US versus the rest of the world, but also how many people actually use US Letter? 

What I wanting is for Adobe to understand there is a world outside the USA and to stop acting like Donald Trump.  

FYI - even when I change my default, the first option I am presented is US Letter, and in 20 years of using this software I have never use US Letter for anything. 

[Randy Hagan]

Please. You can change those settings, and even acknowledge that, yet you're still angry. And slinging Eurocentric insults indiscriminately at all of the USA because you're angry about a single millimeter. With arguments as thin as a sheet of A4 paper.

Don't let us all stop you. But could you please go be grumpy somewhere else?

We sincerely thought we were helping you. That's what we try to do here. We're not volunteering to be your punching bag.

Regrets,

Randy

[Andrew31671736gg8u]

Didn't think I was grumpy, and I am certainly not Eurocentric since I am from Australia. 

My point is, I have done all, and all of it I knew. (except for the the default page bit, that was good)  

I thought this was a section for feature ideas for Adobe, as well as help.  

Andrew

[Randy Hagan]

No, we're just end users here. Just like you. But I can help you with that.

You can make a feature request through this link. I can tell you that Adobe employees do look at the feature requests, and if they're accepted they offer consideration. I had a bug request accepted and got a free year of Creative Cloud. So it may be lucrative to make that request too.

Good luck,

Randy

[Andrew31671736gg8u]

Thanks for that - I'll jump in and do that.

I did find stats for those that are interested. 49% of users are outside US and it is the fastest growing segment of the 30 million users... that is a lot of users. Wish I'd bought shares! 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I'll just paraphrase the brilliant and all but vanished Cecil Adams here, who after giving a full explanation of the wheels-within-wheels fractal convolutions of the metric paper system, noted "It will surprise no one that this system was invented by the Germans." 😄

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

What you are ignoring is that desktop publishing programs, and all output devices, use type specifications, i.e. points and picas; NOT inches. Everything, metric or inches, is converted back and forth to Postscript points internally. When Postscript was first designed, there was one compromise that actually helped the industry as a whole because in reality, 1 inch is actually 72.27 points, so that was rounded down to an even 72 points.

Whether you use metric units as your default, all your files will be wriiten based on points internally. This will not change no matter how you feel about it.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

All true and I feel the same overall peeve, but out here in the human world we do use daily measurements, and I would neither want to work with a 216x279mm page nor an 8.268 x 11.693 inch one. 🙂

Being able to do a global switch from one to the other isn't an unreasonable request. It would be easier if I could remember how many millimeters there are to the pound, though.

[rob day]

in 20 years of using this software I have never use US Letter for anything.

That’s why there are settable Preferences—no one would ever agree on what the defaults should be.