Converting Inches to Points

Summary: Typographical measurements are often expressed in points. There are several formatting settings that, when accessed through a macro, require measurements to be made in points. Fortunately, VBA provides a function that can handle the conversion from inches into points for you. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007.)

A point is a typographical measurement that is quite small. Points are used to specify many typographical elements, such as font size and line spacing. This means that when writing macros, it may be helpful to convert from a familiar measurement (such as inches) to the equivalent measurement in points.

There are approximately 72 points per inch. This means that you could simply multiply a measurement in inches by 72 in order to derive a result. However, VBA also provides a method that does the conversion for you. Simply use the InchesToPoints method, as follows:

Selection.ParagraphFormat.SpaceAfter = InchesToPoints(0.1)

This example sets the space after a paragraph equal to one-tenth of an inch. VBA takes care of the necessary conversion from inches to points.

Tip #1448 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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Converting Inches to Points