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The Typography Converter converts between all common typographic measurement units, including PostScript points, picas, Didot points, ciceros, inches, and millimeters. Typography has its own measurement system that predates the metric system, and understanding these units is essential for graphic design, print layout, book publishing, and web design.
The PostScript point (also called the DTP or desktop publishing point) is defined as exactly 1/72 of an inch. This definition was established by Adobe Systems in 1984 for PostScript and has become the universal standard in digital design. A pica equals exactly 12 points = 1/6 inch.
The older Didot point system, developed by François-Ambroise Didot in 1783, is still used in European typography. One Didot point equals approximately 0.0148 inches (0.376 mm), slightly larger than a PostScript point. A cicero is 12 Didot points, analogous to the pica.
In traditional printing, type size was measured in points (the height of the type body), line spacing (leading) was measured in points, and column widths and margins were measured in picas. Modern design software (Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, QuarkXPress) continues these conventions while also supporting metric and imperial measurements.
Common type sizes: body text: 9–12 pt, footnotes: 6–8 pt, headings: 14–36 pt, display type: 48–72+ pt. Standard column widths in books are typically 20–30 picas. Margins are usually specified in picas or inches.
All values are normalized to inches as the intermediate unit. Key conversions: 1 pt (PostScript) = 1/72 inch (exact), 1 pica = 12 pt = 1/6 inch (exact), 1 Didot point ≈ 0.0148 inch (0.376 mm), 1 cicero = 12 Didot points ≈ 0.1776 inch (4.512 mm).
The PostScript point is the dominant standard in digital publishing. The traditional printer's point (American, 1 pt = 0.01383 inch) and the Didot point are historical systems that occasionally appear in specialized European typography and bibliographic references.
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72 pt = exactly 1 inch
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30 picas = 127 mm (standard column)
In the PostScript/DTP system: exactly 72 points = 1 inch. This was defined by Adobe in 1984 and is now the universal standard.
A pica is a typographic unit equal to 12 points or 1/6 of an inch (about 4.233 mm). Picas are used for measuring column widths, margins, and other layout dimensions.
PostScript points = exactly 1/72 inch (0.3528 mm). Traditional American printer's points = 1/72.27 inch (0.3515 mm). The difference is tiny but can accumulate over long documents.
The Didot point is the European typographic point system. 1 Didot point = 0.376 mm (0.0148 inch), slightly larger than a PostScript point. Still used in some European countries.
A cicero is the Didot system equivalent of a pica: 12 Didot points = 4.512 mm. Used in European typography, named after the typeface used to print Cicero's works.
Standard body text in books and documents is 10-12 pt. Academic papers often use 11-12 pt. Web body text is typically 16 px (approximately 12 pt).
Multiply PostScript points by 0.3528 (= 25.4/72). For example, 12 pt = 4.233 mm.
Adobe chose 72 pt/inch for PostScript to align with the original Macintosh screen resolution of 72 PPI, making 1 point = 1 pixel on early Macs.
Adobe InDesign supports points, picas, inches, millimeters, and centimeters. Default is picas. You can mix units and convert between them freely.
Leading (line spacing) is measured in points, from baseline to baseline. Common leading: 120% of type size (12 pt text / 14.4 pt leading). Often written as 12/14.4 or 12/15.
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