In his classic column regarding paper sizes, Cecil fails to mention the (at least at one time) ‘official’ US government size of 8 x 10 inches. In my military days (1968–1975) that was the size of all paper we used. The rumor among the troops was that some govenment genius had calculated that by using the smaller size and narrower margins we could store the same amount of information for 10% savings in paper costs.
Of course by this late date, no manufacturer made (if they ever did) smaller sized file folders, filing cabinets, etc, so the real savings, if any were illusory as our smaller sheets rattled around in standard sized holders.
Has the US goverment recovered from this lunacy? And does Cecil have any Straight Dope on whether the non-standard paper size ever actually saved any money?