Typography Converter

Typography units measure type and page layouts. The point (pt) is the main one: a 12 pt font, or 6 pt of line spacing. A digital point is 1/72 of an inch, the size Word, PDF and CSS use, while the older printer's point is 1/72.27 of an inch. A pica is 12 points, and a twip, used inside Word and RTF files, is 1/20 of a point.

Pixels convert at the CSS reference of 96 pixels per inch, so 1 px is 0.75 pt. How big a pixel looks on a screen depends on the screen.

How to convert typography units

Type a value into any field, and every other unit is calculated at once. For example, a 12 pt font size (PostScript point):

1. In pixels: a point is 4/3 pixels.

   12 * 4 / 3 = 16 px

2. In millimeters: a point is 25.4 / 72 mm.

   12 * 25.4 / 72 = 4.233 mm

Common conversions

Typography units

• Twip (twip): Twip is a unit of measurement equal to 1/20th of a point, commonly used in desktop publishing applications.
  Conversion Factor: 1 twip = 0.05 pt

• Meter (m): Meter is the fundamental unit of length in the International System of Units (SI).
  Conversion Factor: 1 m = 2834.64 pt

• Centimeter (cm): Centimeter is a metric unit of length equal to one-hundredth of a meter.
  Conversion Factor: 1 cm = 0.01 m = 28.3465 pt

• Millimeter (mm): Millimeter is a metric unit of length equal to one-thousandth of a meter.
  Conversion Factor: 1 mm = 0.001 m = 2.83465 pt

• Character X: Character X is a typographic unit that represents the standard width of a character. This value changes depending on font and size.
  Conversion Factor: 1 ch = 6 pt = 120 twip

• Character Y: Character Y is a typographic unit that represents the standard height of a character. This value changes depending on font and size.
  Conversion Factor: 1 ch = 12 pt = 240 twip

• Pixel X (px): Pixel X is a digital unit representing the width of a pixel on a digital display. This value depends on the pixel density of the specific display.
  Conversion Factor: 1 px = 0.75 pt = 15 twip

• Pixel Y (px): Pixel Y is a digital unit representing the height of a pixel on a digital display. This value depends on the pixel density of the specific display.
  Conversion Factor: 1 px = 0.75 pt = 15 twip

• Inch (in): Inch is an imperial and U.S. customary unit of length equal to 1/12th of a foot.
  Conversion Factor: 1 in = 72 points = 1440 twip

• Computer Pica (P): Computer Pica is a typographic unit primarily used in digital environments, where 1 pica equals 12 points.
  Conversion Factor: 1 P = 12 pt = 240 twip

• Printer Pica (P): Printer Pica is a typographic unit primarily used in traditional printing, where 1 pica equals 12 printer points, or 11.9552 standard (computer) points.
  Conversion Factor: 1 P = 12 printer points = 11.9552 pt

• PostScript Point (pt): PostScript Point is a unit of length commonly used in digital typography and printing, with 1 point equal to 1/72nd of an inch.
  Conversion Factor: 1 pt = 20 twip = 1/72 in

• Computer Point (pt): Computer Point is a unit of length primarily used in digital environments, where 1 point equals 1/72nd of an inch.
  Conversion Factor: 1 pt = 20 twip = 1/72 in

• Printer Point: Printer Point is a unit of length primarily used in traditional printing, where 72.27 printer points are equal to 1 inch.
  Conversion Factor: 1 printer point = 1 / 72.27 in

• En (en): In typesetting, an en is half an em, so its size depends on the font size. This converter uses a fixed en of half a printer point.
  Conversion Factor: 1 en = 0.5 printer points

Frequently asked questions

What is 50 pt in cm?

A point is 1/72 of an inch and an inch is 2.54 cm, so 50 * 2.54 / 72 = 1.764 cm.