[PLUG-TALK] Point Size

Keith Lofstrom keithl at kl-ic.com
Tue Aug 18 17:20:54 UTC 2009


On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 08:23:59PM -0700, Ronald Chmara wrote:
> On Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 8:24 AM, Rich Shepard <rshepard at appl-ecosys.com>wrote:
> 
> > On Sat, 15 Aug 2009, Keith Lofstrom wrote:
> > ... It's nowhere near 60-120pt size; probably 16pt.
> 
> 
> The typographer in me is screaming bloody murder, pardon my rant.
> 
> There are 72 points (post DTP) in an inch, 12 picas. So, 60 point type is
> less than an inch tall.
> 
> However, since most people only work off of what their computer tells them,
> they enter 60 pt type onto a slide, enlarge it 1600% or whatever (depends on
> the projector), and think they're still using 60pt type, even though they've
> changed to using... 96000 pt type.
> 
> Points are a fixed size.

Indeed, but we are scaling to a virtual overhead projector foil, where
the picas and points have a direct physical analog.  If I printed out
foils (and I used to, and still have plastic foils suitable for laser
printers) the points would be 72 per inch.  Hell, for really important
presentations, I *still* print out backup foils in case the computer
projector fails.

Since it is a tad difficult to predict the screen size when one is
pasting pixels into a file, we use the sizing convention from the
printed foil.  Which borrows from racks of molded type, which got
replaced with the hot-metal linotype, which in turn got replaced
by phototypesetting and laser scanning.  I doubt you've lined up
movable type in a composing stick (I have), so chill, dude.  
Technology moves along, appropriating old nomenclatures as needed.

Things will get really confusing when we start projecting directly
on retinas, or use neural stimulation.  Then us old farts will be
screaming at the young whippersnappers with their neural induction
electrodes.  Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993
KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon"
Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Scan ICs



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