A "pica" is a unit of measurement commonly used in typography and desktop publishing to represent the size of text, fonts, and other elements on a printed page. The pica is part of a system of measurement used in the field of typesetting, which involves arranging and designing text for printed materials.
In the pica system:
1 pica (abbreviated as "p") is equal to 12 points. 1 point (abbreviated as "pt") is approximately equal to 1/72nd of an inch.
So, 1 pica is roughly equal to 1/6th of an inch.
This system is based on the traditional point system used in printing, where a point is a very small unit of measurement. Picas and points are still widely used in the design and printing industry, especially when specifying font sizes, line spacing, and other layout details for printed materials like books, magazines, and newspapers.
In digital design and modern desktop publishing software, you can often switch between using picas and points or other units like inches, millimeters, or pixels to set and adjust the layout of text and graphic elements.
A "microinch" is a unit of length used to measure extremely small distances or dimensions. It is equal to one millionth of an inch or 0.000001 inches. In scientific notation, it can be represented as 1 µin (pronounced as "one microinch").
Microinches are typically used in precision engineering, manufacturing, and industries where very fine tolerances and high levels of accuracy are required. This unit allows for the measurement of surface finishes, material thicknesses, and other minute details with extreme precision.
To put it into perspective, a microinch is much smaller than a human hair, which is typically several thousand micrometers (µm) or microns in diameter.