Here in Australia we use Metric Measurements, but I’ve noticed that as a Paper Crafter I need a fairly good knowledge of both the metric and the Imperial system. Luckily I’ve got a handle on Feet and inches too from early school days (Showing my age here!!)
Also, a lot of Tools and Craft Supplies imported here are US made or made for the US market too, so they are in Feet and Inches, where as anything Aussie made is in Centimetres (spelt Centimeters in the US) .
When I make cards for myself I think in centimetres, but often when making designs for the blog I have US measurements in mind as most of my readers are US based.
That’s where Silhouette Studio comes in handy. It’s so quick and easy to switch from Metric to Imperial and back that I no longer bother opening up a browser window to google for a conversion.
Here’s a view of an A2 Greeting card. You can see it’s 5 ½ high by 8 ½ inches wide (unfolded). When the card is selected, the measurements show on the mat – They’re also there in the Scale Window which I have open (see the arrows)
To get the card size in centimetres to double check it’s going to fit on my Aussie sized cardstock I’ll convert the measurement – just four quick clicks and I’ve got my answer!
- Open the Preferences Window by clicking on the Gear /Cog at the bottom right of the screen
- Click on the General Tab.
- Scroll down a bit to the “Unit of Length” settings and check Centimetres (or whatever you want to convert to)
- Click Apply.
The design instantly shows the measurements in Centimetres (or whatever you set it to.)
It takes more time to read these instructions than it actually takes to do it! LOL… and you can change it back just as quickly.
Hope you find this as handy as I have.
Thanks. In Canada we use metric as well so this helps a lot.