Problem with changing size of text

CDubs said:

I am having a problem with cutting the size of text that I want. On the main working screen I type in the specific dimensions of the text that I want to cut ( I have a graphtec cutter). When I pull up "Cut/Plot" in the dialog box under Job Size....the size is NEVER what I have specified. It is normally smaller.
I will then type the dimensions into the Job Size field and cut the letter. BUT when I cut the letter......it is not the size I typed into the job size.

I really need help on this! I'm very frustrated.

If you specify the size of the type (font) to be 2 inches and you come up short of that when you go to cut, is a very simple explanation.

The fonts have both, decenders and ascenders. When you look, as an example, the letter 'h', you see the character and its ascender the upper stroke of the 'h'). When you look at the letter 'y', you see the character with it's descender (the lower stroke of the 'y').

In normal typography, the character size in height, includes the ascender and the descender and a nominal blank space of a point or two, between two lines of characters abutted against each other if it is specified as part of the font being used.

In other words, a 2 inch letter includes, at a minimum, the space for the body of the character, plus space for ascender, plus space for the descender.

To circumnavigate this, you can convert your text to curves and then adjust the height of the converted text (curves) to the size that you want to cut.

If you want learning something new and be less frustrated look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typeface_anatomy

Best regards,

Mek