Interesting note in the Help file for Adobe's InDesign page layout
software (a competitive program to Quark):
"Note: Like other graphic-arts software from Adobe and other companies,
InDesign uses PostScript� points, which don't correspond exactly to
traditional printer points. There are 72.27 traditional printer points in
an inch, as opposed to 72 PostScript points."
This is the first time I've ever heard that traditional printers points
are not exactly 72 points per inch. Of course, it is just one more reason
to go metric, but interesting nonetheless.
InDesign program allows you to use any of the following units of measure.
By adding a unit suffix, you can use any of them at any time (e.g., even
if your rulers are set to inches, you can type "12mm" into a box).
points (12 points per pica)
picas (6 picas per inch)
inches, fractional
inches, decimal
millimeters
centimeters
ciceros (European unit of measurement 7% larger than a pica)

(For more info see:
http://cgm.cs.mcgill.ca/~luc/measurements.html
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~typo/glossary/theme-e.htm
for more than you ever wanted to know about typesetting measurements.)

Jim Elwell



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