Traditional point-size names

Fonts originally consisted of a set of moveable type letterpunches purchased from a type foundry. As early as 1600, the sizes of these types—their "bodies"[1]—acquired traditional names in English, French, German, and Dutch, usually from their principal early uses.[2] These names were used relative to the others and their exact length would vary over time, from country to country, and from foundry to foundry. For example, "agate" and "ruby" used to be a single size "agate ruby" of about 5 points;[2] metal type known as "agate" later ranged from 5 to 5.8 points. The sizes were gradually standardized as described above.[3] Modern Chinese typography uses the following names in general preference to stating the number of points. In ambiguous contexts, the word hào (t 號, s 号, lit. "number") is added to the end of the size name to clarify the meaning.

"Minion (typography)" redirects here. For the typeface, see Minion (typeface).
Example of type sizes used in the books and newspapers:
(1) Great Primer (18 pt, 6.35 mm),
(2) English (14 pt, ≈4.939 mm),
(3) Pica (12 pt, ≈4.233 mm),
(4) Small Pica (11 pt, ≈3.881 mm),
(5) Long Primer (10 pt, ≈3.528 mm),
(6) Bourgeois (9 pt, 3.175 mm),
(7) Brevier (8 pt, ≈2.822 mm),
(8) Minion (7 pt, ≈2.469 mm),
(9) Nonpareil (6 pt, ≈2.117 mm),
(10) Pearl (5 pt, ≈1.764 mm) and
(11) Diamond (4.5 pt, 1.5875 mm).

Note that the Chinese font sizes use American points; the Continental systems traditionally used the Fournier or Didot points. The Fournier points, being smaller than Didot's, were associated with the names of the Didot type closest in size rather than identical in number of points.

Comparison table
Point Metric
size		 American system Continental system Chinese system
American[4] British[1] French[5] German[6] Dutch Character Pinyin Meaning
1 ≈ 0.353 mm American[lower-alpha 1] AchtelpetitAchtste petit
1+1/2 ≈ 0.529 mm German AchtelciceroAchtste cicero
2 ≈ 0.706 mm Saxon Non Plus Ultra[8]
Viertelpetit		Non plus ultra[9]
Vierde petit
2+1/2 ≈ 0.882 mm Norse Microscopique[9]Microscopique[8]Microscoop
Microscopie
3 ≈ 1.058 mm Excelsior[10][lower-alpha 2]Minikin[10] DiamantBrillant[8]
Viertelcicero		Kwart cicero
3+1/2 ≈ 1.235 mm Ruby
Brilliant[12]
4 ≈ 1.411 mm Brilliant PerleDiamant
Halbpetit[8]		Robijn
Diamant
Halve petit
4+1/4 ≈ 1.499 mm Gem
4+1/2 ≈ 1.588 mm Diamond
5 ≈ 1.764 mm Pearl Parisienne
Sédanoise		PerlParel
Parisienne		 八Bā"Eight"
5+1/2 ≈ 1.940 mm AgateRuby[13][14] 七Qī"Seven"
6 ≈ 2.117 mm Nonpareil NonpareilleNonpareilleNonparel
Nonpareil
6+1/2 ≈ 2.293 mm Minionette[15]Emerald[15] InsertioInsertio 小六Xiǎoliù"Little Six"
7 ≈ 2.469 mm Minion MignonneKolonelKolonel
Mignon
7+1/2 ≈ 2.646 mm Petit-texte 六Liù"Six"
8 ≈ 2.822 mm Brevier Gaillarde
Petit-texte[12]		Petit
Jungfer[12]		Petit
Brevier[12]
9 ≈ 3.175 mm Bourgeois[lower-alpha 3] Petit-romain
Gaillarde[16]		Bourgeois
Borgis[17]		Borgis
Burgeois[16]		 小五Xiǎowǔ"Little Five"
10 ≈ 3.528 mm Long Primer PhilosophieKorpus
Garmond[17]		Corpus
Garmond[18]
10+1/2 ≈ 3.704 mm 五Wǔ"Five"
11 ≈ 3.881 mm Small Pica CicéroRheinländer
Discendian[17]		Mediaan
Rheinländer
12 ≈ 4.233 mm Pica St.-AugustinCiceroCicero
Augustijn		 小四Xiǎosì"Little Four"
14 ≈ 4.939 mm English Gros-texte[lower-alpha 4]MittelGrote cicero
Grote augustijn
Mediaan[19]		 四Sì"Four"
15 ≈ 5.292 mm Gros-texte[lower-alpha 4] 小三Xiǎosān"Little Three"
16 ≈ 5.644 mm Columbian Exchange Gros-texte[lower-alpha 4]TertiaTertia 三Sān"Three"
18 ≈ 6.350 mm Great Primer Gros-romain1+1/2 CiceroParagon
Tekst[20]		 小二Xiǎoèr"Little Two"
20 ≈ 7.056 mm Paragon[2][4] Petit-parangonText
Secunda[8]
22 ≈ 7.761 mm Double Small Pica[2][4] Gros-parangon 二Èr"Two"
24 ≈ 8.467 mm Double Pica PalestineDoppelciceroDubbele cicero
Palestine		 小一Xiǎoyī"Little One"
26 ≈ 9.172 mm 一Yī"One"
28 ≈ 9.878 mm Double English Petit-canonDoppelmittelDubbele mediaan
30 ≈ 10.583 mm Five-line Nonpareil
32 ≈ 11.289 mm Double Columbian Kleine Kanon
Doppeltertia[21]		Dubbele tertia
36 12.7 mm Double Great Primer TrismégisteKanon
Canon[8]		Kanon 小初Xiǎochū"Little Initial"
40 ≈ 14.111 mm Double Paragon Doppeltext[22]
Große Kanon[lower-alpha 5]
42 ≈ 14.817 mm Seven-line Nonpareil Große Kanon[lower-alpha 5]Grote Kanon 初Chū"Initial"
44 ≈ 15.522 mm Canon Gros-canon[lower-alpha 6]Missal[23]Parijs Romein[24]
48 ≈ 16.933 mm Four-line Pica
French canon		 Canon Gros-canon[lower-alpha 6]Kleine MissalKonkordanz
Kleine missaal
54 ≈ 19.050 mm MissalMissaal
56 ≈ 19.756 mm Double-canon
60 ≈ 21.167 mm Five-line pica Große MissalSabon
66 ≈ 23.283 mm Große Sabon[8]Grote sabon
72 25.4 mm Six-line pica
Inch		 Double-trismégisteSabon
Sechscicero[8]
Kleine Sabon[22]		6 cicero
84 ≈ 29.633 mm Seven-line pica Siebencicero[8]
Große Sabon[22]		7 cicero
88 ≈ 31.044 mm Triple-canon
96 ≈ 33.867 mm Eight-line pica Grosse-nonpareilleAchtcicero[8]
Real[22]		8 cicero
100 ≈ 35.278 mm Moyenne de fonte
108 38.1 mm Nine-line pica Imperial[22]9 cicero

See also

Notes
  1. The existence of such small bodies was only notional in the age of metal type.[7]
  2. Note that the American name for 3-point type was initially "Brilliant"[4] and the English name was initially "Excelsior".[2] The American "Excelsior", meanwhile, was originally 4-point type.[4][11] The situation subsequently changed.
  3. Pronounced "burjoyce".[16]
  4. The French gros-texte referred indifferently to type sizes between 14 and 16 points.[5]
  5. The German Große Kanon referred indifferently to 40- or 42-point type.
  6. The French gros-canon referred indifferently to type sizes of 44 or 48 points.[5]

References
  1. Southward, John (1888), "Typography", Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. XXIII (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, p. 698.
  2. Romano, Frank (Summer 2009). "The History of the Typographic Point" (PDF). APHA Newsletter (171): 3–4.
  3. "Type", Sizes.com, Santa Monica: Sizes Inc., 2004.
  4. Pasko, Wesley Washington, ed. (1894), American Dictionary of Printing and Bookmaking, Containing a History of These Arts in Europe and America, with Definitions of Technical Terms and Biographical Sketches, New York: Howard Lockwood & Co., p. 522.
  5. Pasko (1894), p. 215.
  6. Bauer, Friedrich (1929), Die Normung der Buchdrucklettern: Schrifthöhe, Schriftkegel, und Schriftlinie in ihrer geschichtlichen Entwichlung, Leipzig: Deutscher Buchgewerbeverein, p. 64. (in German)
  7. Pasko (1894), p. 18.
  8. Bauer (1934).
  9. De Vinne, Theodore Low (1900), The Practice of Typography: A Treatise on the Processes of Type-Making, the Point System, the Names, Sizes, Styles, and Prices of Plain Printing Types, New York: The Century Co., p. 68.
  10. "minikin, n.¹ and adj.¹", Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
  11. "excelsior, n."'", Oxford English Dictionary (1st ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1894.
  12. Pasko (1894), p. 70.
  13. "ruby, n.¹", Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011
  14. Pasko (1894), p. 11.
  15. "minionette, n.", Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
  16. Pasko (1894), p. 65.
  17. Pasko (1894), p. 229.
  18. Reed, Talbot Baines (1887). A History of the Old English Letter-Foundries. London. pp. 38–39.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  19. Pasko (1894), p. 172.
  20. Pasko (1894), p. 238.
  21. von Bauer, Friedrich (1934), Handbuch für Schriftsetzer, Frankfurt: Verlag von Klimsch & Co.. (in German)
  22. Fromm, Helmut (1980). Rechenbuch für die Druckindustrie (in German) (14th ed.). Itzehoe: Verlag Beruf und Schule. ISBN 3-88013-155-4. Mentioned in "Type size names (German style)". briarpress.org.
  23. Pasko (1894), p. 79.
  24. Pasko (1894), p. 213.
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