An agate ( US) or ruby ( UK) is a unit of typographical measure. It is 5.5 typographical points, or about inch (1.94 mm). It can refer either to the height of a line of type or to a

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...

that is 5.5 points. An is commonly used to display

statistical data Statistics (from German: ', "description of a state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a scientific, industrial, or socia ...

or legal notices in newspapers. It is considered to be the smallest point size that can be printed on

newsprint Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper consisting mainly of wood pulp and most commonly used to print newspapers and other publications and advertising material. Invented in 1844 by Charles Fenerty of Nova Scotia, Canada, it usually has ...

and remain legible. Due to the small size of agate compared to typical newspaper body text that might be 8 to 10 points and due to its use for statistical, stock, racing or other table uses, the term "agate" may also refer to tables and texts using this point size. The general description "agate" refers to the collection of miscellaneous tables, stock tables,

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

and sports tables and so forth that may be in a newspaper. From the ''American Dictionary of Printing and Bookmaking'' (1894):

References

{{Typography terms Typography Units of length Typesetting

See also

References