Death to px, long live ch
A developer discusses the limitations of using pixels in web design and advocates for character-based units like 'ch' and 'ex'. The author argues that these units provide better responsiveness and readability across diverse screen sizes.
Why it matters
It reflects a shift in front-end development toward more fluid, content-aware design systems rather than rigid pixel-based layouts.
css design HTML · 2 comments · 400 words · Viewed ~408 times
Pixels are a lie. Even if you think you're drawing something with " pixel perfect " accuracy, your monitor is lying to you. There is no grid of platonically perfect squares.
Note that 1px doesn't necessarily equal one physical device pixel. On HD displays, it may span multiple physical pixels. Similarly, 1cm in CSS often doesn't correspond to one hundredth of SI meter. On a large TV screen, it typically is longer than that. The lengths are perceptual: 16px looks roughly the same on a phone, laptop, or TV screen at typical viewing distance.
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