Pica (Printer's) to Character (Y) Conversion

Convert between Pica (Printer's) and Character (Y) quickly and accurately.

From Pica (Printer's)

To Character (Y)

char

How to Convert Pica (Printer's) to Character (Y)

Conversion Formula

1 pc = 0.996 char

1 char = 1.004 pc

Example

Convert 15 pc to char:

15 pc = 15 × 0.996 char = 14.944 char

Unit Information

Learn about the typography units you're converting between

Pica (Printer's)

Definition

A printer's pica is the traditional typographic unit used in professional printing, slightly different from the computer pica. One printer's pica equals 239.10336 twips, reflecting historical printing standards.

History/Origin

The printer's pica has been used in professional printing for centuries, originally defined as 12 points. It represents the traditional typographic measurement system used in commercial printing and publishing.

Current Use

Printer's picas are used in professional printing, traditional typography, and publishing for precise text layout, font sizing, and spacing that maintains compatibility with historical printing standards and equipment.

Multiplier

239.103

Offset

Character (Y)

char

Definition

Character (Y) represents the average height of characters in a font, used for vertical measurements in typography. One character (Y) equals 240 twips, providing a font-relative unit for vertical text layout.

History/Origin

Character (Y) measurements were developed alongside Character (X) to provide complete font-relative dimensional control in computer typography, enabling proportional vertical spacing and layout calculations.

Current Use

Character (Y) units are used in programming and typography for calculating line height, vertical spacing, and text positioning that maintains proportional relationships with font size changes.

Multiplier

240

Offset