Typography Unit Converter — Points, Picas, Pixels, mm
Convert between 6 typography units — points (pt), picas, pixels (px), millimetres (mm), centimetres (cm), and inches (in). The DTP point (1/72 inch) was standardised by Adobe in 1984. CSS pixels are defined as 1/96 inch regardless of screen resolution. 1 pica = 12 points. Used in graphic design, print production, desktop publishing and web CSS development.
About the Typography Unit Converter
Typography uses specialised units to describe type size and layout with precision. The point (pt) has been the fundamental typographic unit since the 18th century; 72 points equal one inch in the modern DTP (desktop publishing) standard. The pica (12 points) is used for column widths and margins. Pixels (px) in CSS are device-independent units defined as 1/96 of an inch. Millimetres and centimetres are preferred in metric countries for print design specifications.
- ›The DTP point (1/72 inch) was standardised by Adobe in 1984 with PostScript
- ›Before the DTP standard, the American point was 1/72.27 inch and the European Didot point was different again
- ›CSS pixels (px) are defined as 1/96 inch regardless of screen physical resolution
- ›A twip (twentieth of a point) was used in older Microsoft applications for sub-point precision