how many points are in a inch?

Answer 1

I googled "type point" and found the following at About.com:

Point Size, X-Height, Caps Height
Effective use of type means knowing how to measure type. Traditionally, type size is designated in points and is set to specific pica widths and depth (column width and height -- 1 point = .013837 in. & 12 points = 1 pica ).
Two common misconceptions are:
72 points (6 picas) = 1 inch (72 points = .996264 inches)
A letter at 72 points is 1 inch tall (possible but not usually true)
However, for all practical type measurement purposes we round 72 points to 1 inch. When we take spacing above and below a line of type into consideration, when set at 72 points the line of type will take up approximately an inch of vertical space.