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

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

From Point (Printer's)

To Character (Y)

char

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

Conversion Formula

1 pt = 0.083 char

1 char = 12.045 pt

Example

Convert 15 pt to char:

15 pt = 15 × 0.083 char = 1.245 char

Unit Information

Learn about the typography units you're converting between

Point (Printer's)

Definition

A printer's point is the traditional typographic point used in professional printing, slightly different from digital points. One printer's point equals 19.9252801993 twips, reflecting historical printing measurement standards.

History/Origin

The printer's point has been used in typography for centuries, originally defined as 1/72 of an inch in traditional printing. It represents the historical standard for font sizing and typographic measurements in commercial printing.

Current Use

Printer's points are used in traditional printing, professional typography, and publishing for font sizing and text layout that maintains compatibility with historical printing standards and traditional typographic practices.

Multiplier

19.925

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