Filling in an ad specification
The publication asks for the width in picas and you have a file 1,200 pixels wide at 300 DPI. Enter both numbers and quote 24 picas.
Convert pixels to picas at any DPI
At 96 DPI sixteen pixels make exactly one pica, and in print at 300 DPI it takes fifty. Enter the pixel count, set the density, and read the measurement in picas, ready to drop into a specification.
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How many picas does a file come to?
Pixels turn into picas in one step: divide the pixel count by the DPI and multiply by six. At 96 DPI sixteen pixels make exactly one pica, and at 300 DPI it takes fifty pixels to make one. The figure of 96 pixels per inch comes from the CSS specification.[1]
The six in the formula is there because a pica is one sixth of an inch. Six picas make an inch, so a file 2,480 pixels wide at 300 DPI comes to 49.6 picas, a little over eight inches.
This direction earns its keep when the file already exists and the measurement has to be quoted in picas: filling in a publication’s ad specification, placing artwork into an InDesign layout, or describing a column width to a compositor.
Below you will find a table of fourteen file widths at four densities, how to write the result as picas and points, a table of the eleven decimal remainders, and a comparison of the three pica systems. The opposite direction is handled by the picas to pixels converter.
How to convert pixels to picas by hand: formula and example
The formula has two steps: picas = pixels ÷ DPI × 6. The first turns pixels into inches, the second turns inches into picas.
Take artwork 1,200 pixels wide at 300 DPI: 1,200 ÷ 300 gives 4 inches, and 4 × 6 gives 24 picas. Treated as screen material at 96 DPI the same file comes to 75 picas, because at a lower density it spreads across more inches.
That gives you the rule for reading the result: the pica count falls as the density rises. Doubling the DPI halves the measurement in picas, because the same run of pixels is laid over half the distance.
When the answer has to be given in inches or in metric units, the same file is handled by the pixels to inches converter, the pixels to millimeters converter and the pixels to centimeters converter.
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How many picas does a file of a given width come to?
The table shows common file widths at four densities, calculated with the PostScript pica. The rows hold screen resolutions, widths of artwork for web pages, and ISO print formats: 2,480 pixels is the width of A4 at 300 DPI and 3,508 pixels is its height.
| File width | 72 DPI | 96 DPI (screen) | 150 DPI | 300 DPI (print) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 px | 25.00 | 18.75 | 12.00 | 6.00 |
| 600 px | 50.00 | 37.50 | 24.00 | 12.00 |
| 800 px | 66.67 | 50.00 | 32.00 | 16.00 |
| 1,000 px | 83.33 | 62.50 | 40.00 | 20.00 |
| 1,200 px | 100.00 | 75.00 | 48.00 | 24.00 |
| 1,600 px | 133.33 | 100.00 | 64.00 | 32.00 |
| 1,920 px | 160.00 | 120.00 | 76.80 | 38.40 |
| 2,000 px | 166.67 | 125.00 | 80.00 | 40.00 |
| 2,480 px | 206.67 | 155.00 | 99.20 | 49.60 |
| 3,000 px | 250.00 | 187.50 | 120.00 | 60.00 |
| 3,508 px | 292.33 | 219.25 | 140.32 | 70.16 |
| 4,000 px | 333.33 | 250.00 | 160.00 | 80.00 |
| 4,961 px | 413.42 | 310.06 | 198.44 | 99.22 |
| 6,000 px | 500.00 | 375.00 | 240.00 | 120.00 |
Values follow the formula picas = pixels ÷ DPI × 6, rounded to two decimal places. A hundredth of a pica is 0.12 of a point, finer than the thinnest stroke a publishing program will set.
How to write the result as picas and points
The result arrives as a decimal, while publishing software expects the compound form: the number of picas, the letter p, then the number of points. The conversion runs through twelve, because that is how many points a pica holds.[2]
Carry the whole number across unchanged and multiply the decimal remainder by twelve. A result of 20.25 picas is 20 picas and 3 points, written 20p3. A result of 5.5 picas is 5p6, and 12.75 picas is 12p9.
The figure after the p runs from 0 to 11. When it reaches twelve you add a pica and go back to zero: 20 picas and 12 points is simply 21 picas.
The table below sets out all eleven remainders. Reading that notation in the other direction is covered by the picas to pixels converter, and points on their own by the pixels to points converter.
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The decimal remainder in points
The first column is the remainder left after the whole picas. The second gives it in points, the third shows the finished notation using twenty picas as the example, and the fourth gives the remainder itself in pixels at 300 DPI.
| Remainder | In points | Written for 20 picas | 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.083 | 1 point | 20p1 | 4.17 px |
| 0.167 | 2 points | 20p2 | 8.33 px |
| 0.250 | 3 points | 20p3 | 12.50 px |
| 0.333 | 4 points | 20p4 | 16.67 px |
| 0.417 | 5 points | 20p5 | 20.83 px |
| 0.500 | 6 points | 20p6 | 25.00 px |
| 0.583 | 7 points | 20p7 | 29.17 px |
| 0.667 | 8 points | 20p8 | 33.33 px |
| 0.750 | 9 points | 20p9 | 37.50 px |
| 0.833 | 10 points | 20p10 | 41.67 px |
| 0.917 | 11 points | 20p11 | 45.83 px |
Every point is 4.17 pixels at 300 DPI and 1.33 pixels on screen at 96 DPI. Writing in whole points moves the measurement in steps of exactly that size.
Which system should the result be given in?
The Pica type selector sits under both columns. It decides which of the three systems the result comes back in, because the unit under that name has three values today and all three are still in use.
The default PostScript pica fits wherever the measurement goes back into InDesign, QuarkXPress or a CSS stylesheet.[1] The printer’s pica covers files set in TeX and LaTeX, where the 1886 standard still applies.[2] The cicero gives the answer in the unit of continental European typesetting, built from twelve Didot points.
The table below shows the effect: the same file described in ciceros carries about 6% fewer units than in PostScript picas, because a single cicero is wider. Where the three values come from and what each measures in millimeters is set out by the picas to pixels converter.
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The same file across the three pica systems
The comparison is calculated at 300 DPI, the density of sheet-fed print. It shows how many units the same file comes to once the selector is switched.
| File width | PostScript | Printer’s | Cicero |
|---|---|---|---|
| 600 px | 12.00 | 12.05 | 11.26 |
| 1,000 px | 20.00 | 20.08 | 18.76 |
| 1,200 px | 24.00 | 24.09 | 22.51 |
| 1,800 px | 36.00 | 36.14 | 33.77 |
| 2,480 px | 49.60 | 49.79 | 46.53 |
| 3,000 px | 60.00 | 60.23 | 56.28 |
The printer’s pica returns a figure 0.38% higher than the PostScript pica, because the unit itself is slightly narrower. The cicero returns a figure 6.2% lower, since one cicero measures 4.5128 mm against 4.2333 mm.
When you will need this conversion
Artwork placed into a layout
An InDesign frame takes its size in picas, so a photo 1,800 pixels wide at 300 DPI goes in as 36 picas.Describing a column to a compositor
A screen layout has a 320-pixel column at 96 DPI. In picas that is exactly 20, so the measurement carries into print without a fraction.Checking a margin before handing off
A 50-pixel margin at 300 DPI is exactly 1 pica. At 96 DPI the same margin comes to 3.13 picas.
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Convert Pixels to other units
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pt to pxrem to pxem to pxcm to pxmm to pxcm to inchesinches to cmmm to inchesinches to mmmiles to kmkm to milesmeters to feetfeet to metersinches to feetfeet to incheslb to ozoz to lbml to ozoz to mlliters to gallonsgallons to literskg to lblb to kgkg to gg to kgkg to stonestone to kginches to pxfeet to pxpica to pxmeters to pxHEX to RGBRGB to CMYKbytes to KBKB to bytesKB to MBMB to KBMB to GBGB to MBKB to GBGB to KBGB to TBTB to GBKB to TBTB to KBUnix to dateDEC to BINDEC to HEXMbps to MB/s
Sources
- CSS Values and Units Module Level 4 — W3C
- Pica (typography) — Wikipedia
Every figure in the tables was computed from the unit definitions and checked arithmetically before publication. Historical values and the names of local units come from the sources listed above.
Content last reviewed: · written and checked by the Arteon team
Common questions about pixels and picas
How many picas is artwork 1,920 pixels wide?
At 96 DPI it comes to 120 picas, at 72 DPI to 160 picas, at 150 DPI to 76.8 picas and at 300 DPI to 38.4 picas. The same pixel count gives a different measurement at every density, because a pixel only takes on a physical size once a density is set.
How many picas is A4 at 300 DPI?
A4 is 2,480 pixels wide at 300 DPI, which comes to 49.6 picas. The height of 3,508 pixels gives 70.16 picas. In inches that is 8.27 by 11.69.
How do I write a result of 20.25 picas?
As 20p3. Carry the whole number across unchanged and multiply the remainder by twelve: 0.25 × 12 gives 3 points. The figure after the letter p runs from 0 to 11.
Why is the result given to two decimal places?
A hundredth of a pica is 0.12 of a point, or 0.04 mm. That is finer than the thinnest stroke publishing software will set, so further places would change nothing in the finished file.
Which pica system should the result use?
Leave PostScript (DTP) when the measurement goes back into InDesign, QuarkXPress or CSS. Pick Printer’s (TeX) for work set in TeX and LaTeX. Pick Cicero when the recipient works in the European system of Didot points.
Is sixteen pixels always one pica?
On screen it is, because the CSS specification fixes 96 pixels to the inch and a pica is one sixth of an inch. In print at 300 DPI one pica is 50 pixels, which is why the DPI field stays under your control.
How do I turn the result into points?
Multiply the pica count by twelve. Twenty picas is 240 points. Pixels straight to points are handled by the pixels to points converter.
How do I go back from picas to pixels?
Divide the pica count by six and multiply by the density. That is what the picas to pixels converter does, and the Swap order button takes you there in one click.
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