Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!bbn!bbn.com!cosell
From: cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: ruler.ps - an inch/point ruler of your very own
Message-ID: <51011@bbn.COM>
Date: 17 Jan 90 13:32:57 GMT
References: <21772@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> <1990Jan14.180821.18711@trigraph.uucp>, <1990Jan16.154513.10892@intercon.com> <17677@rpp386.cactus.org>
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woody@rpp386.cactus.org (Woodrow Baker) writes:

}I asked for
}the name that the metric typesetting point was called, and what the
}measure was, i.e. mm, microns or what.  

I know that this doesn't help you any, but far as I know there is no
"metric typesetting measure".  The SI system, in general, is pretty
stingy about providing really-useful units, and overall usually takes
the attitude that 1.89257 whatevers is just as handy and intuitive as
having a properly-sized special measure and being able to say "four
whatsits".  On the other hand, a whole bunch of "nonofficial" unit have
precise SI definitions [even though the units, themselves, are not
sanctioned].  [e.g., there is no such SI unit as a "light year",
although that distance is precisely defined and we can figure out how
many meters long it is].

In poking around some, it appears that the US definition of the point
has won out: the 'official' point is defined to be 1/72.27th of an
inch.  Since the inch has an SI equivalent [by def'n the standard
international 'foot' is 0.3048 meters], you get the semi-official
'point' as being 0.351 mm.

  /Bernie\