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From: johnth@batcomputer.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Question on printer pref. specs:
Message-ID: <845@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu>
Date: Thu, 30-Apr-87 09:56:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: batcompu.845
Posted: Thu Apr 30 09:56:05 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 2-May-87 00:47:09 EDT
References: <8704242353.AA07610@cory.Berkeley.EDU> <1769@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP> <450@john.paul.RUTGERS.EDU> <724@puff.WISC.EDU>
Reply-To: johnth@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu.UUCP (John Thurtell)
Organization: Cornell Theory Center, Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Lines: 30

In article <724@puff.WISC.EDU> upl@puff.WISC.EDU (Future Unix Gurus) writes:
>In article <450@john.paul.RUTGERS.EDU> dpz@paul.RUTGERS.EDU (David P. Zimmerman) writes:
>                  ....       If I recall my Jr Highschool printing, 
>12 characters/inch = 10 pt type and 10 char/inch = 12 pt type.
>
>I've seen pitch used in manuals to mean either.
>
>Jeff Kesselman
>captain@uhura.cs.wisc.edu

  Your close, both point (pt) and pica (pc) are a unit of size. 
 1 inch = 72.27 pt
 1 pc   = 12 pt

  It is common to refer to text fonts by there height in points hence
10pt roman, etc.  Pitch is usually used to refer to the number of character
per inch.  While this is related to the height of a letter it is not a
fixed relationship.  A flexible type setting program will let you print
12pt roman type at 5 char/inch, 6char/inch, ..., 11.5char/inch, ...etc.
Many of these will look terrible but that is your choice.  The situation
is of course much more complicated when you use proportional fonts where
each character will have its own natural width.

  Jeff wanted references so I'll suggest. 1)The TEXbook, Donald Knuth
2) LN03 Users Manual, DEC.  I also assume that any good word processor
which works with many different kinds of fonts would discuss this.

John Thurtell
johnth@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu
p8tj@cornelld.bitnet