NRuler

Using a computer to design your projects and test them out benefits from a large variety of accuracy tools and calculators, that pretty much cover most domains of activity. Apart from calculus and working with large numbers, accuracy can even come in the form of measuring, task which is easily taken care of by applications like NRuler.

A neat advantage is that you don’t have to go through a setup process for the application to work, which means it can even be used from an USB flash drive on other computers as well. However, you need to make sure the PC you want to use it on is equipped with Java Runtime Environment, because it was built on this platform.

As soon as it’s launched, two rulers pop on your screen, one for horizontal measuring, while the other for vertical. Don’t be disappointed by size, because by default they are shown in a compact length. Luckily, they’re fitted with individual sliders for length, with changes applied in real-time. As such, you can stretch both rulers as much as you need, and can even cover the whole screen.

There’s a bit more than just the two rulers. Accessing the context menu on either of them lets you specify measuring units, which can be pixels, inches, centimeters, and picas. Moreover, markers can be placed both at the center, as well as in an individual point. For custom values, the application lets you specify the number of pixels per inch.

You are not forced to use both rulers, with a simple tick of an option toggling its state. Another neat advantage is that each ruler has its own set of values, which means one can show centimeters, while the other pixels. There’s also a built-in unit converter, in case you don’t want to change measuring units to determine different sets of values.

NRuler manages to live up to expectations, providing a simple set of rulers that can be customized to fit different size specifications and measure using several unit types. Although angles can’t be determined, measuring lines is neatly covered, with enough options, ease of access, and overall practicality.