Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!pyrnj!pyrdc!uunet!mcvax!enea!kth!draken!tut!utacs!av
From: av@utacs.UTA.FI (Arto Viitanen)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: Definition of Point
Message-ID: <567@utacs.UTA.FI>
Date: 17 Oct 88 06:54:01 GMT
References: <2610015@hpsal2.HP.COM>
Reply-To: av@utacs.UUCP (Arto Viitanen)
Organization: University of Tampere, Dept. of Computer Science, Finland
Lines: 24

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)?
>Some references (most nroff manuals) say there are 72 points to the inch,
>but others simply say (including my Webster's!!!) that a point is "nearly"
>equal to 1/72 of an inch.  Who is right?
>
>  Michael

In his The TeXbook, Donald E, Knuth says "... was defined exaclty .013837 in
by the American Typefounders Association in 1886. ... The new definition
72.27 pt = 1in is not only better for calculation, it is also easier to
remember".

So one inch is 72.27 points.


Arto Viitanen
University Of Tampere, Department of Computer Science
P.O.Box 607
SF-33101 TAMPERE
FINLAND

av@utacs.uta.fi,
av@comic.uta.fi