Print Typography Units Converter
Convert between print typography units — points, picas, inches, millimeters, and centimeters — using exact print measurement ratios (1in = 72pt = 6pc = 25.4mm = 2.54cm).
Input
Output
| Unit | Value |
|---|---|
| No data yet | |
More ways to use this tool
REST API
curl -X POST https://api.iotools.cloud/v1/tool/print-typography-units-converter \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"value": "12",
"fromUnit": "pt"
}'Swap in your own key from your account. The tool's fields are the body — no wrapper.
Ask an AI agent
Use the IOTools `print-typography-units-converter` tool (Print Typography Units Converter) on this input:
YOUR_INPUT_HEREPaste this at any agent connected to the IOTools MCP server, then add your input.
Embed widget
<iframe
src="https://iotools.cloud/embed/print-typography-units-converter/"
width="100%" height="520" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" loading="lazy"
title="Print Typography Units Converter — iotools.cloud"
sandbox="allow-scripts allow-forms allow-same-origin allow-downloads allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"
allow="clipboard-write"
style="width:100%;border:1px solid #e5e7eb;border-radius:12px;overflow:hidden"></iframe>
<script src="https://iotools.cloud/embed.js" async></script>Drop this into your own page — free, no key required, just a link back.
| Cost per API/MCP call | From 5 credits |
|---|
Also available with
Guides
Print typography measures type and layout in a different unit system than the web does. The Print Typography Units Converter converts between the five units a print, prepress, or desktop-publishing workflow actually uses: points (pt), picas (pc), inches (in), millimeters (mm), and centimeters (cm). Enter a value, pick its unit, and the tool instantly shows the equivalent in every other unit.
How the units relate
Print measurement is built on one fixed chain of exact ratios — the modern PostScript/DTP point, used by every current design application (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Word, etc.):
- 1 inch = 72 points
- 1 pica = 12 points, so 1 inch = 6 picas
- 1 inch = 25.4 millimeters (the international inch) = 2.54 centimeters
Everything else falls out of that chain: a point is 1/72 inch (≈0.3528mm), a pica is 1/6 inch (≈4.2333mm), and so on. Because these are fixed physical ratios, the conversion never depends on a screen, a DPI setting, or a font — 12pt is exactly 1 pica everywhere, on paper or in software.
How to use it
- Enter a Value.
- Choose its Unit — points, picas, inches, millimeters, or centimeters.
- Read the equivalents for all five units in the results table, ready to copy or download as CSV.
Typical uses: converting a font size or leading given in points to millimeters for a print spec sheet, converting a page margin from inches to picas for a layout grid, or checking how many points a metric measurement (mm/cm) works out to before setting type.
Why not px, em, or rem?
Those are CSS/screen units, not print units, and they behave differently: a CSS pixel has no fixed physical size (it depends on device pixel density), and CSS em/rem are relative to an element's or the page root's font-size rather than a printed measurement. Converting between them requires a DPI assumption and a font-size context — see the Pixel, REM & EM Converter for that conversion.
What about "em" in print typography?
Traditional print typography also uses the word "em" — but it means something narrower than CSS em. A print em is simply the current type size: in 12pt type, 1 em = 12pt; in 24pt type, 1 em = 24pt. It scales with font size but isn't relative to a parent element in a document tree the way CSS em is. An "en" is half an em (historically the width of the letter "n"). Since a print em is just the point size restated, you can get it directly from this converter: whatever value you enter in points is one em at that size — no separate field needed.
Is this accurate for print production?
Yes — the ratios used (72pt/inch, 12pt/pica, 25.4mm/inch) are the standard, universally-adopted print measurement constants, not approximations. Results are rounded to 4 decimal places for display.
This tool runs entirely in your browser; no values are sent anywhere.