[PLUG-TALK] Point Size

Ronald Chmara ronabop at gmail.com
Tue Aug 18 19:49:00 UTC 2009


On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 10:20 AM, Keith Lofstrom <keithl at kl-ic.com> wrote:

> On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 08:23:59PM -0700, Ronald Chmara wrote:
> > 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.
> >...
> ....Hell, for really important
> presentations, I *still* print out backup foils in case the computer
> projector fails.


I haven't seen an old school projector in years. I'd likely swoon, or faint,
or both. I used to hate the crappy laser printed ones, but if you're doing a
100 point scatter plot, hand drawing that just isn't a lot of fun.

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.


Oooh, now I get it. Yet another convention that comes from "lost"
intermediary technology.


> 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.


Do I seem that young? Maybe I do.

I've got the finger burns and exacto-scars and permanent memories of the
scents of wax, and later, rubber cement. Hand set and pressed type was more
of an art project in my early days, but I know a well sorted type box when I
see one.

Enjoy:
http://www.drawger.com/?what=shows&show_id=32


> 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.


"It's 5 millineurons, damnit! The visual cortex amplifier only makes it seem
like it's 35 milli-neurons!"

Yeah, that'd be me.

:)

-Bop
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.pdxlinux.org/pipermail/plug-talk/attachments/20090818/0f64adac/attachment.html>


More information about the PLUG-talk mailing list