this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2024
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263
Making a PDF that’s larger than Germany (alexwlchan.net)
submitted 10 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
29 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Some version of this has been floating around the Internet since 2007, probably earlier. This tweet is pretty emblematic of posts about this claim: it’s stated as pure fact, with no supporting evidence or explanation. We’re meant to just accept that a single PDF can only cover about half the area of Germany, and we’re not given any reason why 381 kilometres is the magic limit.

I started wondering: has anybody made a PDF this big? How hard would it be? Can you make a PDF that’s even bigger?

A few years ago I did some silly noodling into PostScript, the precursor to PDF, and it was a lot of fun. I’ve never actually dived into the internals of PDF, and this seems like a good opportunity.

Let’s dig in.

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[–] [email protected] 82 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Arrows pointing out from Germany indicating a pointless quest for more space. Why do I feel like I have seen that before?

[–] eggymachus 62 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Arrows

Pointless

Pick one

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

Bravo. 👏⛳

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's a rerun!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

The writers are getting lazy

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

I'm not sure what you're referring to. Augustus' legion might have painted a map like that but they were trying to escape their quest for more space and didn't really have the time to make any maps about it what with all of the arrow and axe dodging they needed to do.