Why can’t I use pt (point) for font-size?

[sdi]

I have researched high and low and found all kinds of sites that say don’t do this because fonts set using pt (or point) are not scalable, but I have tested IE8 (native), IE8 (compatibility mode), FF 3.6.3, Chrome 5.0.3, Safari 4.0.5 (PC), and Opera 10.53 – and they all render pages using points for font-sizes accurately and they are all scalable when using the browser’s "zoom" features. What am I missing here? Since I work with both print and web, it makes sense to me to use points in both if possible. I feel like such an idiot… :oops: Can someone please educate me? Thanks for any (kind and patient) direction you can provide.

fyi – This site seems to be a good one to test with – http://net.jasonpearce.com/tools/cssfontsizes.html

[Chris Coyier]

You CAN, but in my experience and testing, it is the most inconsistent method of text sizing across browsers. Which is ironic since it was conceived as an abstract measurement to curb that exact problem.

[sdi]

Thanks so much for the quick response. Sorry to belabor the point, but have you tested lately with the most current releases? Are you talking specifically PC vs Mac – I do not have a Mac to test on and can’t verify those results. But as I mentioned in my original post, I am testing with the latest versions of the major players and can not see any difference. Is it minor differences that you are seeing or significant? I did not do actual screenshots from each and compare pixel to pixel. I’m just wondering if maybe that old standard of NEVER using points for font-sizes can be laid to rest?

[Author]

Posts