Galaxy Gauge ($14.95) is a ruler designed by and for graphic designers. Its 18-inch frosted mylar length includes all the features you expect, plus some incredibly useful surprises. Its Leading scale lets you exactly match line spacing from a printed sample, while its Serif and Sans-Serif “E” scale lets you match a printed sample’s font size. A Screen Finder lets you easily determine the line screen of a printed image, while a Screen Density scale helps you visualize various grayscale tints if they were printed at 65, 85, 100, 133 and 150 lpi.

Its Circles & Corners tool helps you determine the correct radius for a circle or the corner radius for a rounded rectangle, while its Angles gauge measures angles to within one degree.

It shows the 18 most common proofreading marks, with explanations and examples. It has tables that convert Fractions to Decimals, show Download Times for files, and show file sizes for various Scan Sizes and resolutions.

It shows Bullets and Rules in all their common sizes. And, of course, it measures in Inches, Picas and Centimeters, with one-point accuracy.

You can read a review of the Galaxy Gauge products in X-Ray magazine here.

Jeff Gamet

Jeff Gamet is a contributing editor for Design Tools Monthly, the executive summary of graphic design news. He is also the morning editor and reviews editor for The Mac Observer and iPodObserver.com, and contributing writer for Layers Magazine and Photoshop User. He writes the InBrief column for InDesign Magazine, and is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X,” from Peachpit Press

When Jeff isn’t writing about the graphic design world, he’s talking about it on the Design Tools Weekly podcast with co-host Jay Nelson. He also talks about Apple and the Mac world every week on The Mac Observer’s Apple Weekly Report.

Jeff studies, tests and reviews new software and technologies for the Macintosh community as well as the design and print industries. He is a former Pre-press specialist, and has nearly 25 years experience with computer technology. Jeff trains, lectures and consults on techniques for more efficiently using Mac OS X in creative environments throughout the country.

In the rare moments when he can get away from his MacBook Pro, Jeff spends his time climbing and biking in the Colorado mountains.