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Pt to Px Converter
Use this free pt to px converter to change points into pixels — and pixels back into points — at any DPI. Pick 72, 96, 120, 144 or 192 DPI, or enter a custom value, and it converts instantly, showing the same size in every CSS unit at once: pt, px, em, rem, percent, inches, centimetres and millimetres. It is the quick way to turn a print font size into a web font size, or a design file measurement into CSS.
Default is 16 px, the usual browser default. Change it if your root font size is different.
How the pt to px converter works
A point is a print unit: one point is exactly 1/72 of an inch, so 72 pt is always one inch, on any printer, in any country. A pixel is a screen unit with no fixed physical size — how big it is depends on the DPI, the number of pixels packed into one inch. The conversion between them is one multiplication: pixels = points × DPI ÷ 72. At 96 DPI, the web standard, 12 pt becomes 12 × 96 ÷ 72 = 16 px. At 72 DPI, points and pixels are equal, so 12 pt is 12 px. At 300 DPI, the print standard, the same 12 pt is 50 px, because the pixels are much smaller.
Going the other way uses the reverse formula: points = pixels × 72 ÷ DPI. A 16 px font at 96 DPI is 16 × 72 ÷ 96 = 12 pt, which is why browsers default to a 16 px font — it matches the familiar 12 pt body text from print. The converter handles both directions: choose points as the input to go pt to px, or pixels as the input to go px to pt, and every other unit updates with it.
The other CSS units are relative, not absolute. An em is relative to the font size of the parent element, a rem is relative to the font size of the root element (usually the html element, normally 16 px), and a percent is a percentage of the parent font size. So with a base font of 16 px, 1 em is 16 px, 1 rem is 16 px, and 100% is 16 px; a 12 pt font at 96 DPI is 16 px, which is 1 em, 1 rem and 100% all at once. Change the base font size in the converter and the em, rem and percent values follow it, which is exactly how they behave in a real stylesheet. Inches, centimetres and millimetres are absolute like points: 1 inch is 72 pt and 2.54 cm, and their pixel values come from multiplying by the DPI.
Common DPI values
| Use | DPI | 12 pt in pixels |
|---|---|---|
| Old print and screens | 72 | 12 px |
| Web and CSS | 96 | 16 px |
| Windows 125% scaling | 120 | 20 px |
| Windows 150% scaling | 144 | 24 px |
| Windows 200% scaling | 192 | 32 px |
| High-quality print | 300 | 50 px |
Worked example
A designer has a flyer set in 12 pt type and needs the same text size on a website, where the standard is 96 DPI. She also needs a 24 pt headline for a 300 DPI print image. How many pixels is each?
Step 1: Body text at 96 DPI — px = 12 × 96 ÷ 72 = 1,152 ÷ 72 = 16 px.
Step 2: Headline at 300 DPI — px = 24 × 300 ÷ 72 = 7,200 ÷ 72 = 100 px.
Step 3: Check the reverse — 16 px at 96 DPI is 16 × 72 ÷ 96 = 12 pt, which matches the original.
Enter 12 pt with 96 DPI in the converter and it gives exactly 16 px, with 1 em, 1 rem, 100% and 0.1667 in shown alongside. Enter 24 pt with a custom DPI of 300 and it gives exactly 100 px.
FAQ
How do you convert pt to px?
Multiply the points by the DPI and divide by 72: px = pt × DPI ÷ 72. At the web standard of 96 DPI, 12 pt becomes 12 × 96 ÷ 72 = 16 px. At 72 DPI, points and pixels are equal, so 12 pt is exactly 12 px.
What DPI should I use for pt to px conversion?
Use 96 DPI for web and CSS work, because CSS defines its pixel against 96 DPI. Use 72 DPI for older print workflows, where 1 point equals 1 pixel. Use 300 DPI when you need the pixel size of a print document, for example a 12 pt font in a 300 DPI image is 50 px tall.
How many pixels is 12 pt font?
At 96 DPI, the web standard, 12 pt is 16 px. At 72 DPI it is 12 px, and at 300 DPI it is 50 px. Browsers use 16 px as the default font size precisely because it equals 12 pt at 96 DPI.
How do I convert px back to pt?
Reverse the formula: pt = px × 72 ÷ DPI. At 96 DPI, 16 px becomes 16 × 72 ÷ 96 = 12 pt. Choose pixels as the input unit in this converter and it shows the point size and every other CSS unit at once.
What is the difference between pt, px, em and rem?
A point is a physical print unit: 1 pt is 1/72 of an inch. A pixel is a screen unit whose physical size depends on DPI. An em is relative to the font size of the parent element, and a rem is relative to the root (html) font size, usually 16 px. So 1 em equals 16 px when the parent font is 16 px, and 1 rem always equals the root size.