This typography unit converter changes type and layout sizes between points, picas, CSS pixels, inches, millimeters, centimeters and meters. The desktop publishing point is exactly 1/72 inch, a pica is 12 points, and the CSS pixel is defined as 1/96 inch, so 1 pt = 4/3 px exactly.
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How to use the typography unit converter
- Enter the size, for example 12 pt.
- In the typography unit converter, choose its unit and the target unit, such as pt to px.
- Read the typography unit converter result: 12 pt = 16 px.
For pt to px, multiply by 4/3 (1.3333); for px to pt, multiply by 0.75. For pt to mm, multiply by 0.352778.
What is typography units?
Typography uses points and picas to size type: 1 point = 1/72 inch and 1 pica = 12 points. On the web, a CSS pixel is defined as 1/96 inch, so 12 pt text equals 16 CSS px.
Conversion formula
The typography unit converter stores every unit as a multiple of the base unit, the meter (m). To convert:
value in target unit = value × (factor of source unit ÷ factor of target unit)
where each factor is the size of the unit in meters.
Common typography units conversions
| From | To | 1 unit equals |
|---|---|---|
| point (pt) | CSS pixel (px) | 1.333333 px |
| CSS pixel (px) | point (pt) | 0.75 pt |
| point (pt) | millimeter (mm) | 0.3527778 mm |
| pica (pc) | point (pt) | 12 pt |
| inch (in) | point (pt) | 72 pt |
Typography unit converter worked example
Convert 25 points to CSS pixels:
- Factor of pt = 0.00035277778 m
- Factor of px = 0.00026458333 m
- 25 × 0.00035277778 ÷ 0.00026458333 = 33.33333 px
Typography units unit reference
| Unit | Symbol | Group | Equals (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meter | m | Metric | 1 |
| Centimeter | cm | Metric | 0.01 |
| Millimeter | mm | Metric | 0.001 |
| Inch | in | US/Imperial | 0.0254 |
| Point (PostScript) | pt | Typography | 0.0003527777778 |
| Pica | pc | Typography | 0.004233333333 |
| CSS Pixel (96 dpi) | px | Digital | 0.0002645833333 |
Reverse factors for each typography units unit
The typography unit converter reference table gives each unit in meters. To go the other way, divide by that factor; the list below does the division for you.
- Centimeter (cm), Metric: 1 cm = 0.01 m, so 1 m = 100 cm.
- Millimeter (mm), Metric: 1 mm = 0.001 m, so 1 m = 1,000 mm.
- Inch (in), US/Imperial: 1 in = 0.0254 m, so 1 m = 39.37008 in.
- Point (PostScript) (pt), Typography: 1 pt = 0.0003527778 m, so 1 m = 2,834.646 pt.
- Pica (pc), Typography: 1 pc = 0.004233333 m, so 1 m = 236.2205 pc.
- CSS Pixel (96 dpi) (px), Digital: 1 px = 0.0002645833 m, so 1 m = 3,779.528 px.
Font sizes in points, pixels and millimeters
Common type sizes, using 1 pt = 1/72 in and 1 px = 1/96 in:
| Points (pt) | CSS px | mm | Picas |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 10.67 | 2.822 | 0.667 |
| 9 | 12 | 3.175 | 0.75 |
| 10 | 13.33 | 3.528 | 0.833 |
| 11 | 14.67 | 3.881 | 0.917 |
| 12 | 16 | 4.233 | 1 |
| 14 | 18.67 | 4.939 | 1.167 |
| 18 | 24 | 6.35 | 1.5 |
| 24 | 32 | 8.467 | 2 |
| 36 | 48 | 12.7 | 3 |
| 72 | 96 | 25.4 | 6 |
Millimeters here are the nominal em size; the visible letter height is smaller and depends on the typeface.
Page sizes in points and CSS pixels
PDF and print layouts measure pages in points. US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) is 612 × 792 pt, or 816 × 1,056 CSS px. ISO A4 (210 × 297 mm) is about 595.28 × 841.89 pt. In CSS, browsers default to a 16 px root font size, so 1 rem is usually 16 px, or 12 pt; rem and em scale with the font size rather than the page. Use the length converter for inches and millimeters and the image resolution converter for dpi.
Points, pixels and CSS
On the web, CSS defines one pixel as 1/96 inch and one point as 1/72 inch. That makes 16 px equal to 12 pt, which is why browsers default to 16 px text and word processors to 12 pt. The typography unit converter applies those fixed ratios, so it is exact for CSS even though real screens have more physical pixels.
A pica is 12 points, or 1/6 inch, and page layouts in print software often use picas for column widths. The European Didot point is larger, about 0.376 mm against 0.353 mm for the PostScript point, so old type specimens from Europe will not match modern sizes exactly.
Relative units such as em depend on the current font size; 1.5 em in 16 px text is 24 px.
Related converters and calculators
Related tools:
- Image resolution converter: dpi and ppi
- Length converter: all length units
- Inches to mm: in to mm
- mm to inches: mm to in
- Area converter: m² and ft²
Sources
W3C CSS Values and Units Level 4: Absolute lengths; NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.
Questions about this calculator
How many pixels is 12 pt?
16 CSS px, since 1 pt = 4/3 px.
How do I convert pt to px?
Multiply by 4/3. For example, 18 pt = 24 px.
How do I convert px to pt?
Multiply by 0.75. For example, 20 px = 15 pt.
How do I convert pt to mm?
Multiply by 0.352778. For example, 10 pt ≈ 3.53 mm.
How many points are in a pica?
12 points; 6 picas = 1 inch.
Check the assumptions and units before relying on a result. Financial, tax and health estimates do not replace advice for your individual circumstances.
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