A "point" (abbreviated as "pt") is a unit of measurement commonly used in typography and desktop publishing to specify the size of text, fonts, and other elements on a printed or digital page. The point is part of a system of measurement used in the field of typesetting, which involves arranging and designing text for printed materials.
In the point system:
1 point (abbreviated as "pt") is equal to approximately 1/72nd of an inch. This means that there are approximately 72 points in 1 inch.
Points are used to define the size of fonts, leading (line spacing), and other layout details in printed materials. For example, when you specify a font size of 12 points, you are indicating that the height of the characters in that font will be roughly 1/6th of an inch or about 4.23 millimeters.
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 points and other units like picas, inches, millimeters, or pixels to set and adjust the layout of text and graphic elements.
A "link" is a unit of length that is equivalent to 1/100th of a chain. In the United States customary system of measurement, one link is equal to 7.92 inches or 0.201168 meters. It is primarily used in surveying and land measurement.
Links are often used in conjunction with other surveying units like chains and rods to measure distances on land, especially for large plots or parcels of land. The term "link" is rarely used in everyday conversation or modern applications outside of surveying and related fields. Instead, more common units like feet, yards, or meters are used for measuring length in most contexts.