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Point (Typography) (pt) - Unit Information & Conversion

Symbol:pt
Plural:points
Category:Length

What is a Point (Typography)?

Definition

A point is a unit of length used in typography. The desktop publishing point (DTP point or PostScript point) is defined as 1/72 of an international inch (approximately 0.3527 mm).

History

Typographic points evolved from historical printing practices. The DTP point standardized previous variations for digital use.

Common Uses

  • Specifying font sizes
  • Measuring line spacing (leading) and other typographic elements

Unit FAQs

How many points are in an inch?

In modern desktop publishing, there are exactly 72 points (pt) in 1 inch (in).

What is the difference between a point and a pixel?

A point (pt) is a unit of physical length (1/72 inch), typically used for print. A pixel (px) is a unit of digital display resolution and its physical size can vary depending on the screen's pixel density (PPI).

What does 12 pt font mean?

It means the height of the font characters (specifically, the 'em square', which includes space above and below the letters) is 12 points, or 12/72 = 1/6th of an inch.

Point (Typography) Conversion Formulas

To Meter:

1 pt = 0.000353 m
Example: 5 points = 0.001764 meters

To Kilometer:

1 pt = 3.5278e-7 km
Example: 5 points = 0.000002 kilometers

To Hectometer:

1 pt = 0.000004 hm
Example: 5 points = 0.000018 hectometers

To Decimeter:

1 pt = 0.003528 dm
Example: 5 points = 0.017639 decimeters

To Centimeter:

1 pt = 0.035278 cm
Example: 5 points = 0.176389 centimeters

To Millimeter:

1 pt = 0.352778 mm
Example: 5 points = 1.76389 millimeters

To Inch:

1 pt = 0.013889 in
Example: 5 points = 0.069444 inches

To Foot:

1 pt = 0.001157 ft
Example: 5 points = 0.005787 feet

To Yard:

1 pt = 0.000386 yd
Example: 5 points = 0.001929 yards

To Mile:

1 pt = 2.1921e-7 mi
Example: 5 points = 0.000001 miles

To Nautical Mile:

1 pt = 1.9048e-7 NM
Example: 5 points = 9.5242e-7 nautical miles

To Micrometer:

1 pt = 352.778 μm
Example: 5 points = 1763.89 micrometers

To Nanometer:

1 pt = 352778 nm
Example: 5 points = 1763890 nanometers

To Light Year:

1 pt = 3.7288e-20 ly
Example: 5 points = 1.8644e-19 light years

To Astronomical Unit:

1 pt = 2.3581e-15 AU
Example: 5 points = 1.1791e-14 astronomical units

To Parsec:

1 pt = 1.1433e-20 pc
Example: 5 points = 5.7163e-20 parsecs

To Angstrom:

1 pt = 3527780 Å
Example: 5 points = 17638900 angstroms

To Mil/Thou:

1 pt = 13.888898 mil
Example: 5 points = 69.444488 mils

To Fathom:

1 pt = 0.000193 fath
Example: 5 points = 0.000965 fathoms

To Furlong:

1 pt = 0.000002 fur
Example: 5 points = 0.000009 furlongs

To Link (Gunter's):

1 pt = 0.001754 li
Example: 5 points = 0.008768 links

To Pace:

1 pt = 0.000463 pace
Example: 5 points = 0.002315 paces

To Span:

1 pt = 0.001543 span
Example: 5 points = 0.007716 spans

To Digit:

1 pt = 0.018519 digit
Example: 5 points = 0.092593 digits

To Cable Length:

1 pt = 0.000002 cb
Example: 5 points = 0.00001 cable lengths

To Ell:

1 pt = 0.000309 ell
Example: 5 points = 0.001543 ells

To Finger:

1 pt = 0.003086 finger
Example: 5 points = 0.015432 fingers

To Roman Mile:

1 pt = 2.3836e-7 m.p.
Example: 5 points = 0.000001 Roman miles

To Stadion:

1 pt = 0.000002 stadion
Example: 5 points = 0.00001 stadia

To Chi (Chinese):

1 pt = 0.001058 chi
Example: 5 points = 0.005292 chi

To Shaku (Japanese):

1 pt = 0.001164 shaku
Example: 5 points = 0.005821 shaku

To Li (Chinese):

1 pt = 7.0556e-7 li
Example: 5 points = 0.000004 li

To Toise:

1 pt = 0.000181 toise
Example: 5 points = 0.000905 toise

To Bolt:

1 pt = 0.000012 bolt
Example: 5 points = 0.000058 bolts

To Rope:

1 pt = 0.000058 rope
Example: 5 points = 0.000289 ropes

To Smoot:

1 pt = 0.000207 smoot
Example: 5 points = 0.001036 smoots

To Sajene:

1 pt = 0.000165 sajene
Example: 5 points = 0.000827 sajenes

To Ken:

1 pt = 0.000194 ken
Example: 5 points = 0.00097 ken

To Wa:

1 pt = 0.000176 wa
Example: 5 points = 0.000882 wa

To Vara:

1 pt = 0.000421 vara
Example: 5 points = 0.002104 varas

To Aln:

1 pt = 0.000594 aln
Example: 5 points = 0.00297 alnar

To Cubit (Royal/Egyptian):

1 pt = 0.000675 cubit
Example: 5 points = 0.003373 cubits

To Versta:

1 pt = 3.3069e-7 versta
Example: 5 points = 0.000002 versts

To Arpent:

1 pt = 0.000006 arpent
Example: 5 points = 0.00003 arpents

To Ri (Japanese):

1 pt = 8.9834e-8 ri
Example: 5 points = 4.4917e-7 ri

To Klafter:

1 pt = 0.000186 klafter
Example: 5 points = 0.00093 klafter

To Yojana:

1 pt = 2.6132e-8 yojana
Example: 5 points = 1.3066e-7 yojanas

To Skein:

1 pt = 0.000003 skein
Example: 5 points = 0.000016 skeins

Convert Point (Typography)

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Point (Typography) Quick Info

pt
Symbol:pt
Category:Length
System:Various
Convert Point (Typography)

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