QMS 860, User Manual, Page: 207 / 398

Pitch
Pitch is the number of characters in a horizontal inch. Ten-pitch
Courier prints ten characters per inch. Therefore, ten-pitch type is
wider than twelve-pitch type since only ten characters fill a
horizontal inch rather than twelve. Another name for this
measurement is cpi (characters per inch).
In fixed spaced fonts, sizes are usually described by pitch. In pitch
measurements, a higher number means smaller characters. The
following example shows ten-pitch and twelve-pitch Courier:
10-Pitch Courier
12-Pitch Courier
Monospacing
The term monospaced refers to a typeface whose characters all
have uniform and equal spacing. Another term for this style of type
spacing is fixed pitch. A monospaced or fixed-pitch typeface is
useful for spreadsheets and other documents with columnar data.
Monospacing is the opposite of proportional spacing.
Proportional Spacing
The term proportionally spaced refers to a typeface that varies the
size of each character. For example, the letter “i” is thinner than
the letter “m” and should take up less space. Proportional spacing
saves page space and is easier on the eye. This manual uses Times,
a proportionally spaced typeface.
Because proportionally spaced typefaces place each character
according to its individual size, they increase legibility and
Chapter 7
7 - 1 2 P r o f e s s i o n a l P r i n t i n g