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36 point for one-half inch (therefore, 72 point for one inch, 18 point for one-quarter inch, and so on) Thirty-six point type is NOT one-half inch high! The "point size" of type is a very old historical measurement. It's based on handset metal type. A long time ago, type wasn't set with machines. Typesetters worked at tables that had two type cases on them: the "upper case" contained the capital letters, the "lower case" contained the minuscules. In these cases were huge numbers of small metal blocks, each with a letter molded into the top of it. If you were working with "12 point" type, the blocks were 12 points high. The letters varied in size depending on their style--a set of Cochin was smaller than a set of Palatino. If someone comes in and asks me for type a certain number of inches high, I either print it out, measure it and adjust as necessary, or I size it in a graphics program.

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15y ago
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Q: What point size should you use for letters one half inch in print height?
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