Re: Widths in tables

Peter Flynn (pflynn@curia.ucc.ie)
Tue, 25 Apr 95 18:21:54 EDT

Points, picas, inches and centimetres should be included.

> In addition to the units listed above, we also need the traditional
> printer's units -- the point and the pica. And I would grudgingly add
> inches and centimeters to the list for people who like to think that
> way about typography. The names should be
>
> pt | pi | in | cm
>
> where
>
> pi = 12 pt
> in = 6 pi = 2.54 cm (exactly).

This should be documented as meaning "big points" (Adobe "points") of
exactly 72 to the inch rather than standard Anglo-American printers
points of 72.27 to the inch (or indeed continental European Didot
points).

I would stay away from calling picas "pi". I know it is the common
abbreviation in printing, but it will only serve to confuse the user,
who will equate it with 3.142...why not use "pc" as in TeX (or would
that get confused with desktop computers? :-)

///Peter