By default, Adobe Illustrator uses points as the unit of measurement (one point equals 0.3528 millimeters). You can change the units used to measure overall dimensions, paths, and text.
If it is more convenient for you to work with units of measurement other than points, or the specification requires measurements in other units, then you may need to change the default units. Use one of the following tips to do this:
- To change the default units, choose Edit> Preferences> Units (for Windows) or Illustrator> Preferences> Units (for Mac OS), then select the desired units for overall dimensions, paths, and text. If the Show Asian option is enabled in the text settings, then you can also select units of measurement specifically for Asian text. Important: the units of measurement for general dimensions apply to rulers, measuring the distance between points, moving and transforming objects, adjusting the grid, distance between guides and creating shapes.
- To set the overall dimensions for the current document only, choose File> Document Setup from the menu, then choose the desired unit from the Units menu and click OK.
- To change the unit of measurement when entering a value in the field, enter one of these abbreviations after the numbers: inch, inches, in, millimeters, millimetres, mm, Qs (one Q equals 0.25 millimeters), centimeters, cm, points, p, pt, picas, pc, pixel, pixels, or px.
