Text in millimeters

[mguilfoile@adobeforums.com]

I can't find how to have text expressed in millimeters (or anything else, for that matter). It only has "points." This is in CSID, version 3.0 on OS 10.3.9. How do I change it from points to millimeters?

Thank you,

Mike

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

You'll need to start a whole new industry that measures type differently from the one that InDesign serves.

Type is measured in points. That's it. Sensible or not.

Dave

[Heather Bell]

If it's for a headline or poster (i.e. not a paragraph of text) you could convert to paths and the adjust the resulting box using any unit of measurement you have your presets set to. i.e. creating 2" tall viyl letters for cars etc.

[mguilfoile@adobeforums.com]

Dave,

Gee, I guess the folk at Adobe who work on AI already are aware of that industry because Illustrator allows text to be specified in millimeters, inches, pixals and points. CS is supposed to be a "suite" of applications that work together so it is a very natural assumpion that the fundamental features would carry from one to another. Type is NOT measured just in points. This is according to Adobe, who know a little something about type. The 19th century has ended, by the way.

Heather,

Thanks for your advice. I am laying out text for a museum exhibit and much of what I'm doing could be considered a headline. I have to convert to paths anyway for vinyl cutting, so this is a good work-arould (but Adobe really should get their act together if they want to call this group of applications a "suite"). Thanks again!

Mike Brown

[Gerald_Singelmann@adobeforums.com]

Mike, put a sock in it.
Polemics will only help that you are ignored here in future.

[Heather Bell]

Your welcome Mike, if it's a official request you should make sure you email that suggestion to Adobe, feature request section or some such. I'm sure there are people who'd prefer to be able to work in the unit of measurement of their choosing. I'd even find it useful on occasion for the previously mentioned vinyl lettering, it's always a specific hieght requirement, and it would be nice to not HAVE to convert it, or scale it, and such, just type in 2 inches in the type dialogue like any other job where you know you want it 12 points.

[John_Nolan@adobeforums.com]

You can specify type size in centimetres by typing "cm" after the number in the size field of the character pallet, but the display will convert the measure and display it in points.

This will not, of course, get you a letter of a precise height, any more than it will if you enter the value in points, since different letters in a font are different heights, even if nominally the same point size, and of course the same letter in different fonts will differ as well.

Heather: you _can_ type "1 in" in the size field (and 72 pt will appear).

[Heather Bell]

Good to know. Thanks.

[Claudio_González@adobeforums.com]

As John says, if you type a font size of 20 mm, InDesign will accept it and dutifully convert it to 56.693 pt. But this will not be the size of an H, and not even the distance from the highest ascender to the lowest descender, regardless of the font used. It would seem that the 19th century has not ended in the world of typography.

[Jean-Marc Lévy]

I am French, living in France. So, I use millimeters and centimeters for all the measurements EXCEPT for type size, and that does not bother me… In Europe, before desktop publishing, typographers and layout designers used Didot points and ciceros, not millimeters.

[Gerd_Kalesse@adobeforums.com]

19th century, 20th century, 21st century …

It would be good of Adobe to give the same choices in ALL CS applications! B-)

Gerd

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

I'd like to pick-up on the assertion that Illustrator allows text size to be specified in mm. I can see that it allows exactly the same as InDesign: type 3mm for the size and it displays 8.5pt. Is that what we're talking about? Because if so this whole topic is moot because Illustrator and InDesign do exactly the same thing.

Dave

[mguilfoile@adobeforums.com]

In AICS the preferences "Units and Measurements" allows you to specify what units you use for type: points, inches, millimeters or pixels. The info palettes will display what you pick. You can still enter any unit you want, but it will convert it to your preferred unit.

Mike

[Dave_Saunders@adobeforums.com]

Ah, I see. Thank you.

I can see how this would be important to illustrators creating large signs and the like.

I'm surprised that anyone would regard it as an issue in InDesign.

Dave

[mguilfoile@adobeforums.com]

I create graphics for a museum, from post card size to 30 foot wall graphics. There is always some overlap between the smallest type on the largest graphics and the largest type on the smallest graphic. The type sizes often look best if they match. I hope that makes sense. More importantly, however, is that it is easier to maintain visual proportions between the extreams if the same units are used. It is easier to develop a hierarchy of sizes that you can keep consistent during a design phase that might last a year. Additionally, large scale Illustrator files can be placed in an InDesign document, for example, at half size for a magazine ad. Computer graphics allow many similar economies if you keep things organized. Having consistent units is one of those little things that allows such flexibility.

Mike