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August 20, 2008
 
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Text & Type
How
Are Type Fonts Measured?
by
Tim Donnelly, guest writer —
T
 ype
is measured in a standard of measurement, called points and picas, which
is most commonly found in the printing industry. With the exception of
type, you probably won't come into contact with points and picas.
What are they?
Once you get familiar with picas and points, they're not very hard
to understand at all. Just as there are 12 inches in a foot, there are 12 points
in a pica. That's easy enough to remember.
So, how big is
a pica?
Well, there's actually 6 picas in an inch. It's based on multiples of six, just
like our own standard measuring. So, if there's 12 points in a pica and 6 picas
in an inch, how many points in an inch? Let's see, 12 x 6 =72. There's 72 points
in an inch.
 Valuable
Though pretty useless in everyday life, there are times when this
information can be quite valuable. If a designer wants to divide an 11" sheet
into three equal sections, how big would each section be? I'm sure you're not
the only one reaching for a calculator. But, if I told you there were 66 picas
in 11 inches, I'm sure you could tell me that each section would measure 22 picas.
Pretty simple, huh?
Quick reference
For your convenience, here's a chart of some conversions
from inches to picas and points. Memorize these and you'll really impress
your printer at your next meeting. Imagine the look he'll give you when
you say "I've been thinking. Isn't it fascinating that there are
36 points in a half inch and there are 36 inches in a yard?" 
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Inches
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Picas
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Points
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Inches
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Picas
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Points
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1/16"
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0.375
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4.5
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5/8"
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3.75
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45
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1/8"
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0.750
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9.0
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11/16"
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4.125
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49.5
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3/16"
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1.125
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13.5
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3/4"
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45
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54
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1/4"
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1.500
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18.0
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13/16"
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4.875
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58.5
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5/16"
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1.875
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22.5
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7/8"
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5.25
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63
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3/8"
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2.250
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27.0
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15/16"
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5.625
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67.5
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7/16"
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2.625
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31.5
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1"
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6
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72
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1/2"
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3
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36
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2"
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12
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144
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9/16"
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3.375
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40.5
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3"
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18
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216
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