Typography

Pica

Definition

The pica is a typographic unit equal to 12 points or exactly 1/6 of an inch (approximately 4.233 mm), used primarily to measure column widths and other layout dimensions.

Explanation

Picas have been a standard unit in print publishing for centuries and remain in use in professional page layout software such as Adobe InDesign. A standard US letter page (8.5 inches wide) is 51 picas wide. The unit bridges points (too small for column measurements) and inches (too coarse for fine typographic work), making it practical for specifying margins and gutter widths in book and magazine design.

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RELATED CONVERSIONS

Pica → Pixel Pica → Point Pica → Em Pica → Rem Pica → Inch (CSS) Pica → Centimeter (CSS)
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RELATED ARTICLES

Typography Units: Points, Pixels, Ems, and Picas

A complete guide to typography units — from Gutenberg-era points and picas to CSS pixels, ems, and rems for modern digital design.
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RELATED TERMS

Em

The em is a relative typographic unit equal to the current element's font size; in a 16 px context, 1 em equals 16 px.

Twip

A twip (twentieth of a point) is a typographic unit equal to 1/20 of a printer's point, or 1/1440 of an inch (approximately 17.64 micrometers).

Cap Height

Cap height is the typographic measurement of the height of a flat uppercase letter (such as 'H' or 'I') from the baseline to the top of the letter, expressed as a fraction of the font's em square.

X-Height

X-height is the typographic height of a typeface's lowercase letters, specifically the height of a flat lowercase 'x' measured from the baseline, typically expressed as a fraction of the em size.