TypeTalk: Measure for Measure, Typographically Speaking

TypeTalk is a regular blog on typography. Post your questions and comments by clicking on the Comments icon above. If Ilene answers your question in the blog, you’ll receive one Official Creativepro.com T-Shirt!
Q. What are ciceros and agates?
A. If you’ve ever changed the unit preferences for a document in Adobe InDesign CS3 and QuarkXPress, you might have noticed that the unit options include ciceros and agates. But if you’re like most people, that’s the only time you’ve seen the terms.
Cicero
A cicero is a linear unit of measure used for typography in France and other European countries. It is defined as 1?6 of the French inch, and is divided into 12 points, known in English as French points or Didot points.
The cicero is similar to the English pica, but as the French inch was slightly larger than the English inch is, there are about 1.061 ciceros to a pica. The relationship of the French inch/cicero/Didot or French point is similar to the English inch/pica /point.
The Didot point has been replaced in France and the rest of the world by the desktop publishing point commonly used graphics and layout software.
Agate
An agate is a standard unit of measurement in the printing industry, most often used in newspaper publishing in reference to selling advertising space. An agate line of type is approximately 5-1/2 points, with 14 lines to the column inch. The column width can vary from paper to paper. This term is still in use.
You can access ciceros and agates in InDesign CS3 via Preferences > Units & Increments > Ruler Units.

The path to ciceros and agates in QuarkXPress is Preferences > Default Print Layout > Measurements.

Love type? Want to know more? Ilene Strizver conducts her acclaimed Gourmet Typography workshops internationally. For more information on attending one or bringing it to your company, organization, or school, go to her site, call The Type Studio at 203-227-5929, or email Ilene at [email protected]. Sign up for her e-newsletter at www.thetypestudio.com.

Ilene Strizver is a noted typographic educator, author, designer and founder of The Type Studio in Westport, Connecticut. Her book, Type Rules! The designer’s guide to professional typography, is now in its 4th edition.
  • The Monicker says:

    I get lost on the vast amount of OpenType features in InDesign. I have an understanding of some features, but ordinals, isolated form, discretonary ligatures? Whose discretion? And what are the stylistic sets? They’re just numbered! I want to make the most out of my software, can you help, oh guru?

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