Forums: Design:

A client of mine is demanding 11.5px size Arial. She did some research online and says that you can specifiy size in ems and percentages and wants the font that would look like 11.5 Arial font.

I think I am going crazy after three months of working with this person, because I know that a computer can not render half a pixel, but I am now doubting myself. I am right, am I not?

Going insane.

Em Calculator

you can type in 11.5 and it give you the amount in ems.

11.5px = 0.72em

hope that helps!


edit:// yet another stupid client request. if all of their requests are like that, i suggest firing them

yes, but the screen can not render half a pixel. The Arial font with size 0.72ems will look like Arial 12px at the default font size setting in the browser. Or have I gone crazy?

i actually just tried it out, looks like .72em renders at 12px. sorry, i dont know what else to suggest.

no problem, I was just thinking may be after 6 years of running web design business I somehow missed the fact that there are "in-between pixels" fonts.

The client now thinks that the corners in the design are too round and need to be less round and the green is too green.

P.S I don't want to diss the client. I think the client starts picking on you when the overall delivered product is not what they are after or what works, and then they try to desperately get it there in the way that they know how. My job is to read between the lines.

i'd say just make the font size 11.5px in your stylesheet, even if it renders at 11 or 12 or whatever, at least you can say "well, i put 11.5px"

(( )11.5)

and if you don't have a contract in place that limits the number of times the client request changes then make sure you do for future projects.

they are paying by the hour. I am ok with searching for 11.5px font size for a few hours

nice

oh this is a fun topic

as you have stated you have six years experience.
you will already know what I am saying




experience in print would lead me to say that I would view anyone's stated measurement of a font in pixels as a mistake...

I would politely explain that—for print—fonts are measured in points. points have a fixed size, the system for measurement of points most commonly used is Postscript, in which 1 point = 0.3527777778 mm = 1/72 inch... in this system of measurement, 11.5pt would be acceptable

passive-aggressive idiot that I am, I would go on to mess with their heads further explaining that a pixel has no 'fixed' measurement and is display dependent, or resolution dependent for its size... and [as you say] can't be split other than in image-editing software such as Photoshop which allows half-pixel selections

even Windows OS doesn't give the font display options in pixels or points... they use Normal, Extra Large, Large...



I know absolutely zilch about web design and HTML, but viewing the source of the first page I had open... I am confused by the code—even they use pt, not px:
<style type="text/css">
.regular {font: 10pt/20pt serif}
td {font: 10pt/20pt serif}
body {font: 10pt/20pt serif}
.bold {font: 10pt/20pt serif; font-weight: bold}
h3 {font: 10pt/20pt serif; font-weight: bold}
.italic {font: 10pt/20pt serif; font-style: italic}

cg.scs.carleton.ca/~luc/measurements.html

that's strange, I think points were meant to be used in for-print stylesheets.
Officially you are supposed to use ems to take advantage of the font size increase option and accessibility.

I will use ems more now, as I have myself recently started increasing size of the font in the browser once in a while. No, not old age . It's for using these

bodymindwisdom.com/info_pinholesforwho.html

Originally posted by: unata
I will use ems more now, as I have myself recently started increasing size of the font in the browser once in a while. No, not old age .

at the office, I have my monitor[s] set to the highest resolution they tolerate, and set the OS font setting to very large... partly old age, partly the need for new glasses\



as for the rest, I figured you knew more than I ... but I try and learn a little when I can


cheers~