Convert Aln (aln) to Point (pt) instantly.
About these units
Aln (aln)
The aln was a traditional Swedish unit of length equal to roughly 59.4 cm, though its exact value varied slightly by region and period. It belongs to the broader family of "ell" measurements used across Europe, originally based on the length of a human forearm. The aln played a crucial role in Swedish commerce, especially in the textile industry, where cloth was measured by stretching it along standardized rods or boards marked in aln lengths. Because such goods were often woven locally and traded regionally, the aln helped regulate and unify commercial practices before the adoption of the metric system. Although obsolete today, the aln survives in historical texts, architectural references, and Scandinavian museum records. Understanding the aln helps scholars interpret pre-modern construction records, land measurements, and traditional clothing industries, revealing a great deal about everyday life in early Sweden.
Point (pt)
A point is a typographic unit traditionally equal to 1/72 of an inch (in digital typography) or 0.352777 mm. Historically, however, the point system varied widely across regions and printing houses. In the era of metal movable type, each foundry often produced its own proprietary sizes, making typefaces and point values incompatible between printers. The modern point was standardized largely due to the demands of the publishing industry and later digital systems, especially PostScript and desktop publishing software. The point became essential because typography requires extremely fine control over letter height, line spacing, and layout—far beyond what conventional measurement systems could easily express. Designers and typesetters rely on points to specify the sizes of fonts, the spacing between lines (leading), and the thickness of rules or strokes. In digital environments, the point remains foundational even though screen resolutions vary. Software uses points as virtual units that are converted into pixels depending on display density. Thus, the point bridges the traditional world of print with modern digital rendering, maintaining continuity in the long history of written communication.