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jps,
I just experimented with what you have said. Its incorrect.
I created one JButton object and added it to a JFrame object.
When I invoked setPreferredSize(new Dimension(1,2)) the button...

Hello.
You may set the dimensions using setPreferredSize() or setSize() methods.
You can also set the X and Y location for the buttons.
Just check the API - JButton (Java Platform SE 7 )
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