InDesign How-to Video: When to Use Picas and Points
In this week’s InDesignSecrets video, David Blatner explains why every designer should add using picas and points to their toolbox. Type is almost always spec’d in it, so it makes sense to use it in other parts of the design process.
Check out new tutorials every Tuesday on our InDesign Secrets YouTube channel, then join the discussion on our Facebook group!
 |
When I first started my job in book publishing, I had to learn picas and points and it was pretty easy to pick up. But I am horrible with inches. My mind automatically converts to picas and points. But–like you said–when I set up my trim size, I use inches, but use picas and points for my head margin and gutters.
Thankfully, I have a cheat sheet that has all the conversions as well.
What I hate is when the designers (usually overseas) use millimeters. It’s not exact, so a 6 x 9 inch trim size ends up 6.023183 x 9.0132 (or some nonsense). Then I have to fix it and also adjust the head margins/gutters which have crazy numbers as well.
Anyway, good video and explanation, David.
As an aside–for those not familiar with picas and points converting to inches (or vice versa), there are some free conversion widgets available for the Mac.
As an overseas millimetre-using designer, I’m having trouble recreating these crazy numbers? Genuinely interested in knowing the circumstances that would result in this
Mitch and Dwayne: It is all a matter of perspective! The “crazy numbers” come from trying to convert mm to inches (or picas). If you work only in metric, then you rarely have to work with numbers like that. (Unless someone sends you measurements in inches.) :-)
But if everyone worked in picas and points, then no one would have to suffer and life on earth would be better. ;-)
In the UK, all three are used: paper size is given in millimeters, head margin, back margin, and text measure are specified in picas, and pretty much everything else in points.
But why suffer? InDesign is good at measurement conversion. For example, if your system is set to points and you want to set a page size of 234 mm by 156 mm, enter ‘234mm’ and ‘156mm’ in the height and width fields. And you can calculate with different units. If your page width is 156 mm, the text measure 27 picas and the back margin 4 picas, you can enter your outside margin as ‘156mm – 27p – 4p’ and it will be displayed as ‘70.205 pt’.
Let InDesign do the maths for you — it’s good at it!
I agree–InDesign can do the math, Peter.
David–I totally agree–it is perspective and what is used for measurements.
I HATE it when I get a job from overseas and I have to fix the trim and margins because they did it wrong.
The instructions (for example and an example): 6 x 9 inch trim. 3/8 inch head margin, and 5/16 inch gutter.
Those were specific margins and trim to be used. But what happens? They do it in in millimeters and screw it up and I have to fix.
That is my aggravation.
When I took graphic design in college (2001-2005), points and picas was taught as an industry standard. I still do most of my print design work in those measurements to this day. It’s so much simpler.