A lot of it goes back to origin of convenience.
How are they sending them? In emails? If so it could be for the sake of consistency. Sometimes spaces and other characters, including fractions, get converted through the devices providing the technology, based on the operating system language, character sets, and fonts used. Even within my own institution, I see emails with special characters from Apple devices get translated into something completely irrelevant for the recipients using PCs or Androids. Spaces may become something like "%20" and so forth...which could become a problem if it's between numbers. Budgets do not always allow organizations to use the most up to date technology, especially if they use donated equipment, so it's always easiest to work with the lowest common denominator.
Do they originate from lendors who may also need to provide measurements in metric? Then they're just using simple calculator algorithms, which I assume tend to be decimal.
Or if they are technical drawings, then it's simply based on user/technology preferences/limitations. Not all CAD programs easily allow you to set up fractions, but nearly all will use decimals.
Me, as a designer, I simply converted to decimals as fractions are quite hard to document electronically. Should it be 1-1/2" or 1 1/2" or 1_1/2" or 1(1/2)"? A simple 1.5" does not misplace the space or character, just as Bill Browne implied in his response. Plus I often have to use a calculator or a software program in the process, and decimals are the "go to", especially when on a deadline. You can't screw up simply saying it's 0.29" instead of ~9/32".
Now if only I could get my rulers and tape measures to be in decimal to eliminate a step. :)
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Darrel Reese
Sr. Graphic Designer
Brookfield Zoo - Chicago Zoological Society
Brookfield IL
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-03-2018 08:50 AM
From: Laura Vookles
Subject: Decimals in inch measurements?
This has been perplexing me in the past few years when working on exhibition catalogues. I am starting to have a lot of lenders send us measurements in inches with decimals instead of traditional fractions.
So far, we have been converting them back to fractions for sake of consistency. (We do the same thing if someone send us centimeters.)
I would love some conversation on this topic. Are decimals in inch measurements a new standard? Should I be doing the opposite and converting everything to the decimals? What about the future of this vs. centimeters?
Thank you for any insights and opinions.
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Laura Vookles
Chief Curator of Collections
Hudson River Museum
Yonkers NY
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