12" Stainless Steel Pica Pole Ruler: INCH and PICAS

I used to use this item when I worked in a print shop. I eventually bought my own. After a few moves, I couldn't find it anymore and even though retired I still use it to make a lot of fine measurements around home. So I bought this one. It is almost as good as my original. Wouldn't you know, less than 2 wks later, I found my original one! Now I have a great back-up!

Just what I wanted.

This is a specialty tool used in graphics arts and publishing, so it has the appropriate scales for inches, agate, picas, and points. It's made of steel and will last forever. I had my previous one for decades, and in a moment of carelessness, left it on my desk at home. Either one of the grandchildren or the lady we hire to clean the house got it. So, hide it when you're not using it. (There was some ink smeared on the points scale that you'll see in the picture, which I couldn't entirely remove, so somebody at the factory was careless.)

The edges of this ruler were a bit sharp I used sand paper to tame the edges down

This is a traditional personal tool of Letterpress printers. They call it a Pica Pole. The strange shape of the end is intended to easily line up with the type in a chase or in a composing stick. Pica is a traditional basic unit of measure for printers. Only 4 stars rather than five, because the material could have been a different grade of steel with more 'spring' in it to resist taking a permanent bend in regular use. But it is still better than the old cheaper version made of brass that would take a permanent bend very easily and the markings would wear off. I have no idea why a draftsman would use it.