A pica (pronounced "PIKE-ah", SAMPA /"paIk@/) is a unit of measure traditionally used in document layout. A pica measures 1 / 6 of an inch, and is used to measure the size of blocks of type, margins, and other macroscopic elements of page layout.
1 / 12 of a pica is a point, which is the standard unit for measuring font size and leading. There are 72 points in an inch, or 6 picas in an inch.
A measurement in picas is usually represented by placing a small letter p after the number of picas. "10 picas" is thus abbreviated to "10p". Likewise, points are represented by placing the number of points after a small p, such as 0p5 for "5 points," 6p2 for "6 picas and 2 points," or 1p1 for "13 points" which is converted to a mixed fraction of 1 pica and 1 point.
It was often used as a unit of mass or weight equal to 3 quintals or as a unit of volume equal to the volume holding 3 quintals of the commodity being shipped.
As a volume measure, the chaldron is equal to 36 bushels, or 288 British Imperial gallons; this is equivalent to 46.237 cubic feet or 1.3091 cubic meters.
The measurement is obtained by comparing the spectrum, or mix of colors (wavelengths of length), produced by the light source to the spectrum of a "fl body," a theoretical object that absorbs all radiation falling on it.
A measurement in picas is usually represented by placing a capital P with a top-right to left-down slash beginning in the upper right of the round portion of the "P" and ending at the lower left of the upright portion of the "P"; essentially drawing a "/" through a "P".
Note that all of these definitions differ from the “pica” setting on typewriters, which means a type size of ten characters per horizontal inch.
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