What Is Pica?
Pica is a unit used in printing and graphic design to measure length on a page. It helps set the size of text, margins, columns and other layout parts. Designers and typographers use picas to keep everything lined up and easy to read.
Definition
In modern digital typography, 1 pica equals 12 points.
There is also a common inch relationship:
- 6 picas equal 1 inch
So if 6 picas equal 1 inch, then 1 pica is one sixth of an inch. In millimeters, this is about:
- 1 pica ≈ 4.233 millimeters
Picas are mainly used for horizontal and vertical measurements in page layout. Points are used to describe font size and fine spacing, while picas handle larger distances such as column widths or page margins.
History / Origin
Pica comes from early printing, when text was set by hand using metal type. Printers needed standard sizes so lines of type would match across different pages and jobs.
In Europe, printers used a similar size called the cicero, based on the French typographic system. English speaking printers developed their own system, where the pica became a key unit in that scale.
Different countries and printers once used slightly different pica sizes because the length of a point was not the same everywhere. With the rise of computers and digital typesetting in the 20th century, the industry moved toward a unified standard. Software like PostScript and desktop publishing tools fixed the digital pica as exactly one sixth of an inch, which is the value used today in most design programs.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The common abbreviation for pica is:
- pc for pica
You may also see a capital P used in some older printing documents, but pc is the standard short form in modern software.
In page layout programs, measurements often appear as a mix of picas and points. A typical format is:
- 10p6 which means 10 picas and 6 points
This way designers can be very exact with both larger and smaller distances.
Current Use Around the World
Today, picas are used mainly in:
- Book and magazine design
- Newspaper and newsletter layout
- Professional graphic design and print production
- Desktop publishing software like Adobe InDesign and similar tools
Many countries now use the metric system in everyday life. However, in printing and typography, picas and points are still very common, especially in the United States and other English speaking regions. Even where centimeters and millimeters are standard, design software often keeps picas as an option because so many design rules and old documents are based on them.
Example Conversions
Here are some simple pica conversions, using the modern standard where 1 pica equals 12 points and 6 picas equal 1 inch.
Picas to points
- 1 pica = 12 points
- 3 picas = 36 points
- 5 picas = 60 points
- 10 picas = 120 points
Picas to inches
- 1 pica = 1/6 inch ≈ 0.167 inch
- 3 picas = 3/6 inch = 1/2 inch
- 6 picas = 1 inch
- 12 picas = 2 inches
Picas to millimeters using 1 inch = 25.4 millimeters
- 1 pica ≈ 4.233 mm
- 6 picas = 1 inch ≈ 25.4 mm
- 12 picas ≈ 50.8 mm
Mixed picas and points
- 4p0 = 4 picas = 48 points
- 4p6 = 4 picas 6 points = 4×12 + 6 = 54 points
- 8p3 = 8 picas 3 points = 8×12 + 3 = 99 points
Related Units
Pica is closely linked to several other units used in printing and design.
- Point (pt) the smaller unit in typography. 1 pica = 12 points. Font sizes like 10 pt or 12 pt are measured in points.
- Inch (in) a common length unit in the United States. 6 picas = 1 inch.
- Millimeter (mm) a metric unit. Often used for paper sizes, but can be converted from picas when needed.
- Em a relative unit equal to the current font size. Used for spacing in digital typography.
- En half of an em. Used for some kinds of spaces and dashes in text layout.
- Cicero a traditional European unit similar to the pica, mostly found in historical typographic systems.
FAQs
What is a pica used for?
A pica is used to measure layout distances in printing and design. Designers use it to set things like column widths, margins, and line lengths on a page.
How is a pica different from a point?
A point is a smaller unit than a pica. There are 12 points in 1 pica. Font sizes are usually given in points, while larger layout measurements often use picas.
How many picas are in an inch?
There are 6 picas in 1 inch. This means each pica is one sixth of an inch, or about 4.233 millimeters.
Do designers still use picas today?
Yes. Picas are still widely used in professional page layout, especially for books, magazines and newspapers. Many design programs use picas and points by default.
Can I switch between picas and centimeters in software?
Most design and word processing programs let you change the measurement unit. You can switch between picas, inches, millimeters and other units, and the software will convert the values for you.
Why not just use centimeters instead of picas?
Many traditional design rules and templates were created using picas and points. Because of this long history, picas remain very useful and familiar in the printing and design world, even where metric units are common.
