The Argument for the Metric System
The attraction of the point system for measuring type is that its increments are so appropriate for the task at hand. Since they were designed specifically for the task, this should come as no surprise. Inches and their fractions are too coarse, and trying to use decimal-denominated inches is hopeless. It’s still common (in the U.S., at least) to express page sizes in inches, even if everything within the page is measured in picas and points. Now that PostScript has rationalized the relationship between inches and points, it’s a harmonious system.
But what about metric measurements? I know some very influential and successful designers in Europe who run all-metric shops and measure their type as well as their page geometry in metric units. Centimeters for page widths, margins, and measures; millimeters for point size and leading. It’s consistent, but I find millimeters too coarse a measurement. A millimeter is, after all, almost 3 times as large as a point. Using points allows you to eliminate a lot of fractions and decimal places. For me, 10-point type on 11 points of lead is easier to cope with than the metric equivalent: 3.5 mm type on 3.85 mm of lead.
Ultimately, I guess it’s a matter of what you get used to, and by any measure I qualify as an old dog who has limited interest in new tricks when it comes to measuring type.
And besides, I like practicing a craft that has measuring schemes unlike any other, one whose traditions go back centuries and that even the whiz kids of Silicon Valley haven’t been able to muck with. Much.
This article was last modified on August 13, 2021
This article was first published on February 17, 2010
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