Calculate font size based on lines per page and size of the page

Question

I have a requirement where I need to print something on a custom media , say 3x5 inches in Ubuntu. I am using the "enscript" tool to print the information.

The number of lines that need to be print in the 3 inches would vary and so would the font size.

Is there any algorithm that I can use to calculate the font size needed to print a given number of lines per page in say 3 inches.

Lets say my font type would always be fixed to "Courier".

I have tried to calculate the font size, based on assuming that 1 inch is 72 points. So 3 inches is 216 points. If I need to print 20 lines in 3 inch space, my font size would be (216/20) which would be 10.8 points.

But this algorithm does not work and does not work for any given number of lines.

Any pointers in solving this would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Ok so I was able to work around the problem. Here's what I did:

72 points per inch is not really a standard, but depends on the type of font, the spacing between lines and many other factors.So I fixed a font like "Courier" and then found what was the maximum font size I could print without any truncation/word wrap. Based on this font, I worked my way back to the points/per inch value.

I found that the "points/per inch" was different for both the font width and font height.

I found that this value was something like "64" not "72" for the font height. Based on "64" I was able to calculate, the font size height based on the formula:

64 * height of paper / number of lines on page

And it worked for all paper sizes and number of lines per page. .