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From: cosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: Definition of Point
Message-ID: <30767@bbn.COM>
Date: 12 Oct 88 20:59:26 GMT
Article-I.D.: bbn.30767
References: <2610015@hpsal2.HP.COM>
Sender: news@bbn.COM
Reply-To: cosell@BBN.COM (Bernie Cosell)
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA
Lines: 18

In article <2610015@hpsal2.HP.COM> morrell@hpsal2.HP.COM (Michael Morrell) writes:
}Does anyone know the exact definition of "point" (as in a 12-point font)?

  POINT SYSTEM: The system by which all typographic manterial is manufactured
  to sizes which are exact multiples of a point.  The English and American
  point is 0.0138 in. or more accurately 72 points = 0.9966 inch.  The Didot
  point used on the Continent is slightly larger, it is 0.376 mm, English
  point 0.351 mm.
      -from {\it Basic Typography} by John R. Biggs

Note that this is a *design*size* when you're using it to refer to a font.
There may well be *nothing* in the font itself that you can measure that is
actually "12 points" long or high or anything else.  

   __
  /  )                              Bernie Cosell
 /--<  _  __  __   o _              BBN Sys & Tech, Cambridge, MA 02238
/___/_(<_/ (_/) )_(_(<_             cosell@bbn.com