Point (Typography) to Vara Converter

The Desktop Publishing Point

The modern typographic point is defined as exactly 1/72 of an international inch. This creates the mathematically convenient relationship:

• 1 point (pt) = 1/72 inch = 0.013888... inches
• 1 point = 0.352777... millimeters
• 72 points = 1 inch (exactly)
• 1 inch = 25.4 mm (by international definition)

This definition, known as the PostScript point or DTP point (Desktop Publishing point), was established by Adobe Systems in the 1980s and has become the universal standard for all modern typography.

The Em Square and Font Height

When we say "12 pt font," we're technically measuring the em square—the metal block that held the physical letter in traditional typesetting. This em square includes:

• Ascenders: Parts of letters extending above the baseline (like the top of 'h' or 'b')
• Descenders: Parts extending below the baseline (like the tail of 'g' or 'y')
• Built-in spacing: Extra vertical space above and below letters

This means 12 pt text doesn't have letters exactly 1/6 inch tall—the actual visible letter height (called x-height) is typically 60-70% of the point size, with the rest being built-in spacing. This spacing prevents lines of text from touching each other.

Points vs. Picas

Typography traditionally pairs the point with the pica:

• 1 pica = 12 points = 1/6 inch
• 6 picas = 1 inch
• 1 pica ≈ 4.233 mm

Professional designers often measure larger typographic elements in picas. For example, a column width might be "20 picas" (3.33 inches) rather than "240 points." The pica provides a more manageable unit for page layout dimensions while maintaining exact mathematical relationships.

Historical Point Systems (Pre-Digital)

Before the DTP point standardization, multiple incompatible point systems existed:

Didot Point (Continental Europe):

• 1 Didot point ≈ 0.3759 mm
• Based on the French pied du roi (royal foot)
• Approximately 67.55 Didot points per inch
• Still occasionally referenced in European historical printing contexts

American/British Pica Point:

• 1 pica point ≈ 0.351459 mm
• 72.27 points per inch (not exactly 72!)
• Derived from metal type casting standards
• Also called the "Anglo-American point"

Fournier Point (Early French):

• Pierre Simon Fournier's original 1737 system
• Approximately 0.348 mm
• 72.989 points per French royal inch
• Largely replaced by Didot system by 1800

The digital revolution eliminated these variations. Today, when anyone uses "point" in typography, they mean the 1/72-inch DTP point unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Early Typography: The Cicero and Finger-Width (1400s-1700s)

Early European printing used inconsistent measurements based on:

• The cicero: A unit based on the line width of a specific typeface (Cicero type), varying by region
• Local inches and feet: Each region had different inch definitions
• Finger widths and eyeball estimates: Printers adjusted type spacing by hand

This inconsistency made it nearly impossible to share typeface designs or maintain consistency across print shops.

Pierre Simon Fournier: The First Point System (1737)

French typefounder Pierre Simon Fournier le Jeune published "Table des proportions" (1737), introducing the first systematic point system:

• Based the point on the French royal inch (pouce du roi)
• Divided the inch into 72 points (a number divisible by many factors: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12)
• Created 20 standardized font sizes
• Named sizes after musical terms (e.g., "Petit-Canon," "Gros-Parangon")

Fournier's system brought mathematical precision to typography for the first time, allowing typefounders to create consistent, proportional type families.

François-Ambroise Didot: The Didot Point (1783)

François-Ambroise Didot, another French typefounder, refined Fournier's system by basing measurements on the pied du roi (royal foot):

• 1 Didot point = 1/72 of 1/12 of the pied du roi ≈ 0.3759 mm
• Larger than Fournier's point (about 7% bigger)
• Created the cicero as 12 Didot points
• Established type size naming still used today (e.g., corps 8, corps 12)

The Didot system became the standard across Continental Europe and remains influential in French and German typography traditions. Some European printing specifications still reference "Didot" even today when discussing historical typography.

American and British Variations (1800s)

The 19th century saw typography spread across the English-speaking world, but without international standards:

American Point System (established c. 1886):

• Created by the United States Type Founders Association
• Based on the pica: 1 pica = 0.166 inches
• Therefore: 1 point = 0.166/12 ≈ 0.013837 inches
• Result: approximately 72.27 points per inch

British Imperial Point:

• Similar to American system but based on British imperial inch
• Also approximately 72.27 points per inch
• Created incompatibilities when Britain and US used different inch definitions before 1959

This proliferation of standards created international printing chaos. A "12 point" font in France was noticeably different from "12 point" in Britain or America.

Adobe PostScript: The Digital Revolution (1982-1985)

The desktop publishing revolution began when Adobe Systems developed PostScript, a page description language for laser printers:

John Warnock and Charles Geschke (Adobe founders) faced a choice: adopt historical point systems with fractional relationships to inches, or create a new, mathematically clean standard.

They chose simplicity: 1 point = exactly 1/72 inch

This decision meant:

• Easy calculation: multiply by 72 to convert inches to points
• Clean pixel mapping on early displays (72 DPI screens made 1 point = 1 pixel)
• No fractional arithmetic in computer calculations
• Complete break from historical confusion

Apple LaserWriter and Macintosh (1985)

Apple Computer licensed Adobe PostScript for the Macintosh computer and LaserWriter printer (launched January 1985):

• First affordable desktop publishing system
• 72 DPI screen resolution matched PostScript's 72 points/inch
• Onscreen "What You See Is What You Get" (WYSIWYG): Text appeared on screen at the exact size it would print
• Revolutionary for designers: no more calculating conversions

The LaserWriter cost $7,000 (expensive but far cheaper than typesetting equipment costing $50,000+), making professional typography accessible to small businesses and independent designers.

Industry Standardization (1985-1995)

The DTP point rapidly became universal:

1987: Adobe releases Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop (1990), both using PostScript points 1987: PageMaker (Aldus, later Adobe) becomes industry-standard layout software 1990s: Microsoft adopts 72 points/inch in Word, PowerPoint, Publisher 1996: CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) defines the pt unit as 1/72 inch for web typography 2000s: All professional design software (InDesign, Quark, CorelDRAW) standardizes on DTP point

By 2000, the historical Didot and pica points had effectively vanished from active use. The DTP point achieved something remarkable: complete global standardization of a measurement unit in just 15 years.

Modern Digital Era (2000-Present)

Today's typography operates in a world of complete point standardization:

• Print design: All software uses 72 pt/inch
• Web design: CSS pt units defined as 1/72 inch (though px and em are more common online)
• Mobile apps: iOS, Android use point-based typography systems
• E-readers: Kindle, Apple Books use point-based font sizing
• Office software: Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages all use identical point measurements

The point has become so universal that most designers under 40 have never encountered historical point systems. The DTP point is simply "the point."

1. Document Typography and Word Processing

Body Text Standards:

• 10-12 pt: Standard body text for business documents, reports, letters
• 11 pt: Often considered optimal for printed books (balance of readability and page economy)
• 12 pt: Default in Microsoft Word, Google Docs; universally acceptable for any document
• 14 pt: Large print books for readers with visual impairments

Heading Hierarchies: Professional documents typically use 3-5 heading levels with systematic point size progression:

• H1 (Title): 18-24 pt, bold
• H2 (Major sections): 16-18 pt, bold
• H3 (Subsections): 14-16 pt, bold
• H4 (Minor subsections): 12-14 pt, bold or italic
• Body text: 10-12 pt, regular

This creates clear visual hierarchy while maintaining readability.

2. Professional Graphic Design and Layout

Adobe Creative Suite Standards:

• InDesign: All text boxes, frames, and measurements in points
• Illustrator: Artboard rulers can display points; all typography in points
• Photoshop: Type tool uses points by default

Print Design Specifications:

• Business cards: Names typically 14-18 pt, contact info 8-10 pt
• Brochures: Headlines 24-36 pt, body text 9-11 pt
• Posters: Titles 48-144+ pt depending on viewing distance
• Magazine layouts: Body 9-10 pt (smaller for dense content), headlines 18-48 pt

Grid Systems: Many designers use point-based grids: 12 pt baseline grids ensure consistent vertical rhythm across pages.

3. Web Typography (CSS)

CSS supports points, though pixels and ems are more common for responsive design:

body {
  font-size: 12pt; /* Equivalent to 16px at 96 DPI */
}

h1 {
  font-size: 24pt; /* Prints at exactly 1/3 inch tall */
}

@media print {
  body { font-size: 11pt; } /* Optimize for printed output */
}

Print Stylesheets: Points are ideal for @media print CSS rules since they translate directly to physical printed size.

Fixed Layouts: PDF generators and print-to-web applications often use point-based layouts for predictable output.

4. Font Design and Development

Em Square Definition:

• Font designers work within an em square measured in points
• Traditionally 1000 or 2048 units per em square (OpenType fonts)
• Defines the bounding box for all characters

Typeface Specifications:

• X-height: Ratio of lowercase 'x' height to full em square (typically 0.5-0.6)
• Cap height: Uppercase letter height (typically 0.65-0.75 of em square)
• Ascenders/descenders: Extensions above/below baseline

All these proportions maintain their relationships regardless of point size, so a typeface designed with good proportions at 12 pt will remain readable at 8 pt or 72 pt.

5. Publishing and Book Design

Book Industry Standards:

• Fiction novels: 10-12 pt body text, typically Garamond, Baskerville, or Caslon
• Textbooks: 10-11 pt body, 8-9 pt captions/sidebars
• Children's books: 14-18 pt for early readers, larger for picture books
• Academic journals: 10-11 pt Times New Roman or similar serif fonts

Line Spacing (Leading): Traditionally measured in points: 10 pt text with 12 pt leading (written "10/12" and pronounced "ten on twelve") means 10 pt font with 2 pts of extra space between lines.

6. Screen Display and User Interface Design

Operating System Defaults:

• Windows: 96 DPI screen resolution → 12 pt = 16 pixels
• macOS (historical): 72 DPI → 12 pt = 12 pixels (now uses points independently of DPI)
• Retina/HiDPI displays: Points now represent logical pixels rather than physical pixels

Mobile App Guidelines:

• iOS: Uses point as device-independent unit; 1 pt = 1 logical pixel (2-3 physical pixels on Retina)
• Android: Uses density-independent pixels (dp), roughly equivalent to points

Accessibility Standards:

• WCAG 2.1: Recommends minimum 14 pt (18.67 px at 96 DPI) for body text
• Large print: 18 pt or larger considered "large print" for accessibility

7. Technical Drawing and CAD (Limited Use)

While engineering drawings typically use millimeters or inches, annotation text in CAD software (AutoCAD, SolidWorks) is specified in points:

• Drawing notes: 10-12 pt
• Dimension labels: 8-10 pt
• Title blocks: 14-24 pt

This ensures text remains readable when drawings are printed or exported to PDF.