View source for Font

{{otheruses}}
{{short description|Particular size, weight and style of a typeface}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
[[File:Bauer Bodoni Mostra (cropped).svg|thumb|The [[Bauer Bodoni]] typeface, with samples of the three of the fonts in the family: Roman (or regular), bold, and italic.]]
In [[movable type|metal]] [[typesetting]], a '''font''' ([[American English]])  or '''fount''' ([[English in the Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth English]]) is a particular [[#Characteristics|size, weight and style]] of a ''[[typeface]]'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design.
For instance, the typeface [[Bauer Bodoni]] (shown in the figure) includes fonts "[[Roman (typeface)|Roman]]" (or "regular"), "{{notatypo|'''[[Emphasis (typography)|bold]]'''}}" and "{{notatypo|''[[Italic type|italic]]''}}"; each of these exists in a variety of [[Font size|sizes]].
In the digital description of fonts ([[computer font]]s), the terms "font" and "typeface" are often used interchangeably.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-11-09 |title=Typefaces vs. fonts: here's how they're different |url=https://www.editorx.com/shaping-design/article/typefaces-vs-fonts |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=Shaping Design Blog |language=en |archive-date=2023-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629171809/https://www.editorx.com/shaping-design/article/typefaces-vs-fonts |url-status=live }}</ref> For example, when used in computers, each style is stored in a separate digital [[font file]].
In both traditional typesetting and computing, the word "font" refers to the delivery mechanism of the typeface. In traditional typesetting, the font would be made from metal or [[wood type]]: to compose a page may require multiple fonts or even multiple typefaces.
[[Image:Sorts on composing stick.jpg|thumb|right|Metal type [[Sort (typesetting)|sort]]s arranged on a [[composing stick]]]]
==Spelling and etymology==
The word ''font'' (US) or ''fount'' (traditional UK; in any case pronounced {{IPAc-en|f|ɒ|n|t}}) derives from [[Middle French]] ''fonte'', meaning "cast iron".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=font |title=font |year=2001 |author=Douglas Harper |website=[[Online Etymology Dictionary]] |access-date=2013-07-19 |archive-date=2017-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629141117/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=font |url-status=live }}</ref> The term refers to the process of casting metal type at a [[type foundry]]. The spelling ''font'' is mainly used in the United States, whereas ''fount'' was historically used in most [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] countries.
==Metal type==
[[File:Coalbrookdale Company auction poster - 1910.jpg|thumb|upright|A 1910 [[letterpress]] poster, advertising an auction, using a variety of typefaces and fonts]]
In a manual printing ([[letterpress]]) house the word "font" would refer to a complete set of [[typeface|metal type]] that would be used to [[typesetting|typeset]] an entire page. Upper- and lowercase letters get their names because of which case the metal type was located in for manual typesetting: the more distant upper case or the closer lower case. The same distinction is also referred to with the terms ''majuscule'' and ''minuscule''.
Unlike a digital typeface, a metal font would not include a single definition of each character, but commonly used characters (such as vowels and periods) would have more physical type-pieces included. A font when bought new would often be sold as (for example in a Roman alphabet) 12pt 14A 34a, meaning that it would be a size 12-[[Point (typography)|point]] font containing 14 uppercase "A"s, and 34 lowercase "a".
The rest of the characters would be provided in quantities appropriate for the [[Letter frequency|distribution]] of letters in that language. Some metal type characters required in typesetting, such as [[em dash|dashes]], spaces and line-height spacers, were not part of a specific font, but were generic pieces that could be used with any font.<ref>{{cite web | title = Basic Letterpress Tools | url = http://my.execpc.com/~bosshard/printing/letrprss/basictools.html | access-date = 2008-12-07 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081224205828/http://my.execpc.com/~bosshard/printing/letrprss/basictools.html | archive-date = 2008-12-24 }}</ref> Line spacing is still often called "[[leading]]", because the strips used for line spacing were made of [[lead]] (rather than the harder alloy used for other pieces). This spacing strip was made from lead because lead was a softer metal than the traditional forged metal type pieces (which was [[Type metal|part lead, antimony and tin]]) and would compress more easily when "locked up" in the printing "chase" (i.e. a carrier for holding all the type together).
In the 1880s–1890s, [[Hot metal typesetting|"hot lead" typesetting]] was invented, in which type was cast as it was set, either piece by piece (as in the [[Monotype System|Monotype]] technology) or in entire lines of type at one time (as in the [[Linotype machine|Linotype]] technology).
==Characteristics==
In addition to the character height, when using the mechanical sense of the term, there are several characteristics which may distinguish fonts, though they would also depend on the [[writing system|script]](s) that the typeface supports. In European [[alphabet|alphabetic scripts]], i.e. [[Latin alphabet|Latin]], [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]], and [[Greek alphabet|Greek]], the main such properties are the [[#Weight|stroke width, called weight]], the [[#Slope|style or angle]] and the [[#Width|character width]].
The regular or standard font is sometimes labeled ''roman'', both to distinguish it from ''bold'' or ''thin'' and from ''italic'' or ''oblique''. The keyword for the default, regular case is often omitted for variants and never repeated, otherwise it would be ''Bulmer regular italic'', ''Bulmer bold regular'' and even ''Bulmer regular regular''. ''Roman'' can also refer to the language coverage of a font, acting as a shorthand for "Western European".
Different fonts of the same typeface may be used in the same work for various degrees of readability and [[emphasis (typography)|emphasis]], or in a specific design to make it be of more visual interest.
===Weight===
<!-- [[Font weight]] and [[Stroke weight]] redirect here. -->
The weight of a particular font is the thickness of the character outlines relative to their height.
[[File:Helvetica Neue typeface weights.svg|thumb|Weights of the typeface [[Helvetica|Neue Helvetica]]]]
A typeface may come in fonts of many weights, from ultra-light to extra-bold or black; four to six weights are not unusual, and a few typefaces have as many as a dozen. Many typefaces for office, web and non-professional use come with a normal and a bold weight which are linked together. If no bold weight is provided, many renderers (browsers, word processors, graphic and DTP programs) support a bolder font by rendering the outline a second time at an offset, or smearing it slightly at a diagonal angle.
The base weight differs among typefaces; that means one font may appear bolder than another font. For example, fonts intended to be used in posters are often bold by default while fonts for long runs of text are rather light. Weight designations in font names may differ in regard to the actual absolute stroke weight or density of glyphs in the font.
Attempts to systematize a range of weights led to a numerical classification first used in 1957 by [[Adrian Frutiger]] with the [[Univers]] typeface: 35 ''Extra Light'', 45 ''Light'', 55 ''Medium'' or ''Regular'', 65 ''Bold'', 75 ''Extra Bold'', 85 ''Extra Bold'', 95 ''Ultra Bold'' or ''Black''.
Deviants of these were the "6 series" (italics), e.g. ''46 Light Italics'' etc., the "7 series" (condensed versions), e.g. ''57 Medium Condensed'' etc., and the "8 series" (condensed italics), e.g. 68 ''Bold Condensed Italics''.
From this brief numerical system it is easier to determine exactly what a font's characteristics are, for instance "Helvetica 67" (HE67) translates to "Helvetica Bold Condensed".
[[File:Regular and bold.png|thumb|Bold and regular versions of three common fonts. <br />[[Helvetica]] has a monoline design and all strokes increase in weight in bold. <br />Less monoline fonts like [[Optima]] and [[Utopia (typeface)|Utopia]] increase the weight of the thicker strokes more. <br />In all three designs, the curve on 'n' thins as it joins the left-hand vertical.]]
The first algorithmic description of fonts was made by [[Donald Knuth]] in his 1986 [[Metafont]] description language and interpreter.
The [[TrueType]] font format introduced a scale from 100 through 900, which is also used in [[Cascading Stylesheets|CSS]] and [[OpenType]], where 400 is regular (roman or plain).
The [[Mozilla Developer Network]] provides the following rough mapping<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/font-weight#Common_weight_name_mapping|title=font-weight|website=Mozilla Developer Network|language=en-US|access-date=2017-07-04|archive-date=2017-05-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525142158/https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/font-weight#Common_weight_name_mapping|url-status=live}}</ref> to typical font weight names:
{| class="wikitable"
! Names !! Numerical values
|-
|Thin / Hairline || {{center|100}}
|-
|Ultra-light / Extra-light || {{center|200}}
|-
| Light || {{center|300}}
|-
||Normal / regular || {{center|400}}
|-
| Medium || {{center|500}}
|-
| Semi-bold / Demi-bold || {{center|600}}
|-
|Bold || {{center|700}}
|-
| Extra-bold / Ultra-bold || {{center|800}}
|-
| Heavy / Black || {{center|900}}
|-
| Extra-black / Ultra-black || {{center|950}}
|}
Font mapping varies by font designer. A good example is Bigelow and Holmes's [[Go Go (programming language)|Go Go]] font family. In this family, the "fonts have CSS numerical weights of 400, 500, and 600. Although CSS specifies 'Bold' as a 700 weight and 600 as Semibold or Demibold, the Go numerical weights match the actual progression of the ratios of stem thicknesses: Normal:Medium = 400:500; Normal:Bold = 400:600".<ref>{{cite press release |title=Go fonts |url=https://blog.golang.org/go-fonts |publisher=Google |website=GOLang.org |access-date=22 August 2019 |archive-date=14 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814031315/https://blog.golang.org/go-fonts |url-status=live }}</ref>
The terms ''normal'', ''regular'' and ''plain'' (sometimes ''book'') are used for the standard-weight font of a typeface. Where both appear and differ, ''book'' is often lighter than ''regular'', but in some typefaces it is bolder.
Before the arrival of computers, each weight had to be drawn manually. As a result, many older multi-weight families such as [[Gill Sans]] and [[Monotype Grotesque]] have considerable differences in weights from light to extra-bold. Since the 1980s, it has become common to use automation to construct a range of weights as points along a trend, [[multiple master fonts|multiple master]] or other parameterized font design. This means that many modern digital fonts such as [[Myriad (typeface)|Myriad]] and [[TheSans]] are offered in a large range of weights which offer a smooth and continuous transition from one weight to the next, although some digital fonts are created with extensive manual corrections.
As digital font design allows more variants to be created faster, a common development in professional font design is the use of "grades": slightly different weights intended for different types of paper and ink, or printing in a different region with different ambient temperature and humidity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Butterick |first1=Matthew |title=Equity: specimen & manual |url=http://www.mbtype.com/pdf/equity-type-specimen.pdf |publisher=MBType |access-date=7 August 2015 |archive-date=28 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828023903/https://mbtype.com/pdf/equity-type-specimen.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Fancy Instagram Fonts Generator 😍(𝓬𝓸𝓹𝔂 ⒶⓃⒹ 𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒) |url=https://www.seohorizon.com/instagram-font-generator/ |website=SEOHorizon |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240202211532/https://www.seohorizon.com/instagram-font-generator/ |archive-date= Feb 2, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Benton Modern |website=Webtype |url=http://bentonmodern.webtype.com/formal/ |publisher=Font Bureau |access-date=7 August 2015 |archive-date=12 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812080456/http://bentonmodern.webtype.com/formal/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> For example, a thin design printed on book paper and a thicker design printed on [[coated paper|high-gloss magazine paper]] may come out looking identical, since in the former case the ink will soak and spread out more. Grades are offered with characters having the same width on all grades, so that a change of printing materials does not affect copy-fit.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Porchez |first1=Jean François |title=Equity |date=January 25, 2012  |url=http://typographica.org/typeface-reviews/equity/ |magazine=Typographica |access-date=13 July 2015 |archive-date=1 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101202244/http://typographica.org/typeface-reviews/equity/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Peters |first1=Yves |title=Inside the fonts: grading Bennet |date=April 4, 2017 |url=https://liptonletterdesign.typenetwork.com/news/article/inside-the-fonts-grading-bennet |publisher=Type Network |access-date=25 September 2018 |archive-date=24 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124194423/https://liptonletterdesign.typenetwork.com/news/article/inside-the-fonts-grading-bennet |url-status=live }}</ref> Grades are common on serif fonts with their finer details.
Fonts in which the bold and non-bold letters have the same width are "[[duplexed (font)|duplexed]]".
{{anchor|italic}}
{{clear}}
=== {{anchor|Font style}} Style ===
==== Slope ====
[[File:Cyrillic cursive.svg|thumb|[[Cyrillic]] italics and allowed variations]]
In European typefaces, especially Roman ones, a slope or slanted style is used to emphasize important words. This is called [[italic type|''italic'' type]] or [[oblique type]]. These designs normally slant to the right in left-to-right scripts. Oblique styles are often called italic, but differ from "true italic" styles.
Italic styles are more flowing than the normal typeface, approaching a more [[handwriting|handwritten]], [[cursive]] style, possibly using [[typographic ligature|ligatures]] more commonly or gaining [[swash (typography)|swash]]es.
Although rarely encountered, a typographic face may be accompanied by a matching calligraphic face (''cursive'', ''script''), giving an exaggeratedly italic style.
In many sans-serif and some serif typefaces, especially in those with strokes of even thickness, the characters of the italic fonts are only ''slanted'', which is often done algorithmically, without otherwise changing their appearance. Such ''[[oblique type|oblique]]'' fonts are not true italics, because lowercase letter shapes do not change, but they are often marketed as such. Fonts normally do not include both oblique and italic styles: the designer chooses to supply one or the other.
Since italic styles clearly look different than regular (roman) styles, it is possible to have "upright italic" designs that take a more cursive form but remain upright; [[Computer Modern]] is an example of a font that offers this style. In Latin-script countries, upright italics are rare but are sometimes used in mathematics or in complex documents where a section of text already in italics needs a "double italic" style to add emphasis to it. For example, the Cyrillic [[Lower case|minuscule]] "т" may look like a smaller form of its [[capital letter|majuscule]] "Т" or more like a roman small "m" as in its standard italic appearance; in this case, the distinction between styles is also a matter of local preference<!--m-style in South(-East) Europe, the other in Russia-->.
[[File:Straight italic within italics.png|thumb|upright=2|center|'Upright italic' within normal italics]]
====Other style attributes====
In Frutiger's nomenclature the second digit for upright fonts is a 5, for italic fonts a 6 and for condensed italic fonts an 8.
The two [[Kana|Japanese syllabaries]], [[katakana]] and [[hiragana]], are sometimes seen as two styles or typographic variants of each other, but usually are considered separate character sets as a few of the characters have separate [[kanji]] origins and the scripts are used for different purposes. The [[blackletter|''gothic'' style]] of the roman script with broken letter forms, on the other hand, is usually considered a mere typographic variant.
Cursive-only scripts such as [[Arabic alphabet|Arabic]] also have different styles, in this case for example [[Naskh (script)|Naskh]] and [[Kufic]], although these often depend on application, area or era.
There are other aspects that can differ among font styles, but more often these are considered intrinsic features of the typeface.{{citation needed||date=March 2023}} These include the look of digits ([[text figures]]) and the minuscules, which may be smaller versions of the capital letters (''[[small caps]]'') although the script has developed characteristic shapes for them. Some typefaces do not include separate glyphs for the cases at all, thereby abolishing the [[letter case|bicamerality]]. While most of these use uppercase characters only, some labeled ''[[unicase]]'' exist which choose either the majuscule or the minuscule glyph at a common height for both characters.
[[Titling font]]s are designed for headlines and displays, and have stroke widths optimized for large sizes.
{{anchor|stretch}}
{{clear}}
===Width===
[[File:Avenir Next regular and condensed widths.png|thumb|The typeface Avenir Next in condensed and regular widths.]]
Some typefaces include fonts that vary the width of the characters (''stretch''), although this feature is usually rarer than weight or slope. Narrower fonts are usually labeled ''compressed'', ''condensed'' or ''narrow''. In Frutiger's system, the second digit of condensed fonts is a 7.
Wider fonts may be called ''wide'', ''extended'' or ''expanded''.
Both can be further classified by prepending ''extra'', ''ultra'' or the like. Compressing a font design to a condensed weight is a complex task, requiring the strokes to be slimmed down proportionally and often making the capitals straight-sided.{{efn|Simply digitally compressing the font produces ugly results, since it narrows the vertical strokes but not the horizontals.}}<ref>{{cite web|last1=Frere-Jones|first1=Tobias|author-link1=Tobias Frere-Jones|title=Typeface Mechanics: 002|url=https://frerejones.com/blog/typeface-mechanics-002 |date=2015 |quote=If we change that interval of white space without changing anything else, this doesn't add up any more. Or more accurately, it adds up to something we didn't want, if we had hoped to keep a consistent darkness. The proportion of black and white has changed, and that is where we get our sense of light and dark, not from the measure of any single element...So when we just put the weights and spaces where they look right, we create a relationship that is neither arithmetic nor geometric but somewhere between. Our eyes are perpetually tough customers, and rarely accept the simplest solution...Weight will crowd together according to the angle of intersection, with the problem getting more acute as the angle gets more acute. It's why type designers will take a deep breath before starting a Compressed Extra Bold version of something, or why they might openly swear at the capital W.|publisher=Frere-Jones Type|access-date=27 December 2017|archive-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924191004/https://frerejones.com/blog/typeface-mechanics-002/|url-status=live}}</ref> It is particularly common to see condensed fonts for sans-serif and slab-serif families, since it is relatively practical to modify their structure to a condensed weight. Serif text faces are often only issued in the regular width.
These separate fonts have to be distinguished from techniques that alter the [[letter-spacing]] to achieve narrower or smaller words, especially for [[Justification (typesetting)|justified text alignment]].
Most typefaces either have [[Typeface#Proportion|proportional]] or [[Monospaced font|monospaced]] (for example, those resembling [[typewriter]] output) letter widths, if the script provides the possibility. Some superfamilies include both proportional and monospaced fonts. Some fonts also provide both [[Typeface#Typesetting numbers|proportional and fixed-width]] (''tabular'') digits, where the former usually coincide with lowercase text figures and the latter with uppercase [[lining figures]].
The width of a font will depend on its intended use. [[Times New Roman]] was designed with the goal of having small width, to fit more text into a newspaper. On the other hand, [[Palatino]] has large width to increase readability. The "[[billing block]]" on a movie poster often uses extremely condensed type in order to meet union requirements on the people who must be credited and the font height relative to the rest of the poster.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/02/24/opinion/sunday/ben-schott-movies-billing-blocks.html?smid=pl-share|title=Assembling the Billing Block|last=Schott|first=Ben|date=February 23, 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 1, 2017|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201132427/http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/02/24/opinion/sunday/ben-schott-movies-billing-blocks.html?smid=pl-share|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{clear}}
===Optical size===
[[File:Unterschiedliche Schriftformen pro Schriftgrösse.jpg|thumb|A set of optical sizes developed at [[URW++|URW]] of the typeface Leipziger Antiqua. The fonts become thicker and more widely spaced as the point size for which they are designed decreases.]]
Optical sizes refer to different versions of the same typefaces optimised for specific font sizes.<ref name="Choosing typefaces that have optical sizes - Google Fonts">{{cite web |title=Choosing typefaces that have optical sizes - Google Fonts |url=https://fonts.google.com/knowledge/choosing_type/choosing_typefaces_that_have_optical_sizes |accessdate=2023-05-13 |archive-date=2023-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513134436/https://fonts.google.com/knowledge/choosing_type/choosing_typefaces_that_have_optical_sizes |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="What is optical sizing and how can it help your brand? - Monotype">{{cite web |title=What is optical sizing and how can it help your brand? - Monotype |date=6 April 2019 |url=https://www.monotype.com/resources/articles/what-is-optical-sizing-and-how-can-it-help-your-brand |accessdate=2023-05-13 |archive-date=2023-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513134437/https://www.monotype.com/resources/articles/what-is-optical-sizing-and-how-can-it-help-your-brand |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Identifont - Optical sizes">{{cite web |title=Identifont - Optical sizes |url=http://www.identifont.com/opticals.html |accessdate=2023-05-13 |archive-date=2023-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513134439/http://www.identifont.com/opticals.html |url-status=live }}</ref> For instance, thinner stroke weight might be used if a font style is intended for [[display type|large-size display use]], or [[ink trap]]s might be added to the design if it is to be printed at small size on poor-quality paper.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reynolds|first1=Dan|title=How To Choose The Right Face For A Beautiful Body|url=http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/05/how-to-choose-the-right-face-for-a-beautiful-body/|website=Smashing|date=21 May 2012|access-date=13 September 2015|archive-date=19 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119110536/https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/05/how-to-choose-the-right-face-for-a-beautiful-body/|url-status=live}}</ref> This was a natural feature in the metal type period for most typefaces, since each size would be cut separately and made to its own slightly different design.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carter |first1=Harry |author-link1=Harry Carter (typographer) |title=Optical scale in type founding |journal=Typography |date=1937 |volume=4 |url=https://issuu.com/letterror/docs/harry_carter_optical_scale_in_typefounding |access-date=15 September 2019 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308221128/https://issuu.com/letterror/docs/harry_carter_optical_scale_in_typefounding |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=MicroPlus>{{cite web |last1=Frere-Jones |first1=Tobias |title=MicroPlus |url=https://frerejones.com/blog/introducing-microplus |publisher=Frere-Jones Type |access-date=1 December 2015 |archive-date=25 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125032517/https://frerejones.com/blog/introducing-microplus |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Requiem features |url=http://www.typography.com/fonts/requiem/features/ |publisher=Hoefler & Frere-Jones |access-date=2 July 2015 |archive-date=11 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711061123/https://www.typography.com/fonts/requiem/features/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As an example of this, experienced Linotype designer [[Chauncey H. Griffith]] commented in 1947 that for a type he was working on intended for newspaper use, the 6 point size was not 50% as wide as the 12 point size,{{efn|In metal type, the [[point size]] of the font describes the ''[[body height (typography)|height]]'' (not width) of the metal [[body (typography)|body]] on which the [[typeface]]'s characters were cast. The typeface was the "Falcon" design by [[William Addison Dwiggins]], ultimately never issued.}} but about 71%.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Tracy|first1=Walter|title=Letters of Credit|pages=52–55}}</ref>
Optical sizing declined in use as [[pantograph]] engraving emerged, while phototypesetting and digital fonts further made printing the same font at any size simpler. A mild revival has taken place in recent years, although typefaces with optical sizes remain rare.<ref name="Size-specific Adjustments to Type Designs">{{cite web|last1=Ahrens and Mugikura|title=Size-specific Adjustments to Type Designs|url=http://justanotherfoundry.com/size-specific-adjustments-to-type-designs|publisher=Just Another Foundry|access-date=2023-05-13|archive-date=2021-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904025556/https://justanotherfoundry.com/size-specific-adjustments-to-type-designs|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Coles|first1=Stephen|title=Book Review: Size-specific Adjustments to Type Designs|url=http://typographica.org/typography-books/size-specific-adjustments-to-type-designs/|website=Typographica|access-date=21 November 2014|archive-date=5 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205070220/http://typographica.org/typography-books/size-specific-adjustments-to-type-designs/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Kupferschmid|first1=Indra|title=Multi-axes type families|url=http://kupferschrift.de/cms/2012/05/multi-axes-families/|website=kupferschrift|date=13 May 2012 |access-date=8 December 2014|archive-date=7 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807105139/http://kupferschrift.de/cms/2012/05/multi-axes-families/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Trianon|url=https://www.productiontype.com/collection/trianon_collection|publisher=Production Type|access-date=2 July 2015|archive-date=7 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207200346/https://www.productiontype.com/collection/trianon_collection|url-status=live}}</ref> The recent [[variable font]] technology further allows designers to include an optical size axis for a typeface, which means end users can manually adjust optical sizing on a continuous scale.<ref name="Choosing typefaces that have optical sizes - Google Fonts" /> Examples of variable fonts with such an axis are [[Roboto#Roboto_Flex|Roboto Flex]]<ref name="Roboto Flex – Variable Fonts">{{cite web|title=Roboto Flex – Variable Fonts|url=https://v-fonts.com/fonts/roboto-flex|access-date=2023-05-13|archive-date=2023-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513134436/https://v-fonts.com/fonts/roboto-flex|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Helvetica#Helvetica Now Variable (2021)|Helvetica Now Variable]].<ref name="Helvetica Now Variable – Variable Fonts">{{cite web|title=Helvetica Now Variable – Variable Fonts|url=https://v-fonts.com/fonts/helvetica-now-variable|access-date=2023-04-14|archive-date=2023-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414125758/https://v-fonts.com/fonts/helvetica-now-variable|url-status=live}}</ref>
Optical sizes are more common for serif fonts, since their typically finer detail and higher contrast benefits more from being bulked up for smaller sizes and made less overpowering at larger ones.<ref name=MicroPlus /> Furthermore, it is often desirable for mathematical fonts (i.e., typefaces designed for typesetting mathematical equations) to have two optical sizes below "Regular",<ref name="Fonts for Mathematics">{{cite web | url=http://www.typoma.com/publ/20041002-atypi.pdf | title=Fonts for Mathematics | accessdate=2023-05-13 | archive-date=2023-05-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513134439/http://www.typoma.com/publ/20041002-atypi.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref> typically for higher-order superscripts and subscripts which are very small in sizes. Examples of such mathematical fonts include [[Minion (typeface)#Minion Math|Minion Math]]<ref name="typoma">{{cite web | url=http://www.typoma.com/en/fonts.html | title=typoma | date=17 May 2018 | accessdate=2023-05-13 | archive-date=2023-05-02 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230502050831/http://www.typoma.com/en/fonts.html | url-status=live }}</ref> and [[MathTime#MathTime Professional 2|MathTime 2]].<ref name="mtpro2 - PCTeXWeb">{{cite web |title=mtpro2 - PCTeXWeb |url=https://pctex.com/mtpro2.html |accessdate=2023-05-13 |archive-date=2023-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417134002/https://pctex.com/mtpro2.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="The 68 individually designed fonts">{{cite web |title=The 68 individually designed fonts |url=https://pctex.com/files/managed/5/52/MTP2flyerFontList.pdf |accessdate=2023-05-13 |archive-date=2023-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513134435/https://pctex.com/files/managed/5/52/MTP2flyerFontList.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
====Naming convention====
Naming schemes for optical sizes vary.<ref>{{cite web |vauthors=Slimbach, Souser, Slye, Twardoch |title=Arno Pro specimen |url=http://wwwimages.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/products/type/pdfs/ArnoPro.pdf |publisher=Adobe |access-date=3 July 2015 |archive-date=30 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830030331/http://wwwimages.adobe.com/content/dam/Adobe/en/products/type/pdfs/ArnoPro.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> One such scheme, invented and popularised by Adobe, labels the variant designs by their typical usages (with the intended point sizes varying  slightly by typefaces):
* '''Poster''': Extremely large sizes, usually larger than 72 point
* '''Display''': Large sizes, typically 19–72 point
* '''Subhead''': Large text, typically about 14–18 point
* '''"Regular" or "Text"''': Usually left ''unnamed'', typically about 10–13 point
* '''Small Text (''SmText'')''': Typically about 8–10 point
* '''Caption''': Very small, typically about 4–8 point
Other type designers and publishers might use different naming schemes. For instance, the smaller optical size of [[Helvetica#Helvetica Now (2019)|Helvetica Now]] is labelled "Micro",<ref name="Helvetica Now Font">{{cite web|title=Helvetica Now Font|url=https://www.myfonts.com/collections/helvetica-now-font-monotype-imaging|access-date=2023-05-13|archive-date=2023-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513115001/https://www.myfonts.com/collections/helvetica-now-font-monotype-imaging|url-status=live}}</ref> while the display variant of [[Hoefler Text]] is called "Titling".<ref name="Hoefler Titling Overview">{{cite web|title=Hoefler Titling|url=http://www.typography.com/fonts/hoefler-titling/overview/|publisher=Hoefler & Frere-Jones|access-date=2023-05-13|archive-date=2023-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513115011/https://www.typography.com/fonts/hoefler-titling/overview|url-status=live}}</ref> Another example is [[Times New Roman|Times]], whose variants are labelled by their intended point sizes, such as Times Ten,<ref name="Linotype Times Ten">{{cite web|title=Linotype Times Ten|url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/times-ten/|website=MyFonts|access-date=2023-05-13|archive-date=2021-03-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308232220/https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/times-ten/|url-status=live}}</ref> Times Eighteen,<ref name="Linotype Times Eighteen">{{cite web|title=Linotype Times Eighteen|url=http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/times-eighteen/|website=MyFonts|access-date=2023-05-13|archive-date=2021-03-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308105321/https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/linotype/times-eighteen/|url-status=live}}</ref> and Times New Roman Seven.<ref name="Times New Roman Seven">{{cite web |title=Times New Roman Seven |url=https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/mti/times-new-roman-seven/ |access-date=2023-05-13 |archive-date=2021-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222232124/https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/mti/times-new-roman-seven/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Variable fonts typically do not use any naming scheme, because the inclusion of an adjustable optical size axis means optical sizes are not released as separate products.
===Metrics===
[[File:Typography Line Terms.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|left|Font metrics]]
''[[Font metrics]]'' refers to [[metadata]] consisting of numeric values relating to size and space in the font overall, or in its individual glyphs. Font-wide metrics include [[cap height]] (the height of the capitals), [[x-height]] (the height of the lowercase letters) and [[Ascender (typography)|ascender]] height, [[descender]] depth, and the font [[bounding box]]. Glyph-level metrics include the glyph bounding box, the advance width (the proper distance between the glyph's initial pen position and the next glyph's initial pen position), and sidebearings (space that pads the glyph outline on either side). Many digital (and some metal type) fonts are able to be [[Kerning|kerned]] so that characters can be fitted more closely; the pair "Wa" is a common example of this.
[[File:Kerning EN.svg|thumb|Kerning brings A and V closer with their serifs over each other]]
Some fonts, especially those intended for professional use, are duplexed: made with multiple weights having the same character width so that (for example) changing from regular to bold or italic does not affect word wrap.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Butterick|first1=Matthew|title=Concourse specimen pdf|url=http://typo.la/cots|publisher=MBType|access-date=7 August 2015|archive-date=11 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811195842/https://mbtype.com/pdf/concourse-type-specimen.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Sabon]] as originally designed was a notable example of this. (This was a standard feature of the Linotype hot metal typesetting system with regular and italic being duplexed, requiring awkward design choices as italics normally are narrower than the roman.)
A particularly important basic set of fonts that became an early standard in digital printing was the [[PostScript fonts#Core Font Set|Core Font Set]] included in the [[PostScript]] printing system developed by Apple and Adobe. To avoid paying licensing fees for this set, many computer companies commissioned "metrically compatible" knock-off fonts with the same spacing, which could be used to display the same document without it seeming clearly different. [[Arial]] and [[Century Gothic]] are notable examples of this, being functional equivalents to the PostScript standard fonts [[Helvetica]] and [[ITC Avant Garde]] respectively.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Shaw|first1=Paul|title=Arial Addendum no. 3|url=http://www.paulshawletterdesign.com/2011/10/blue-pencil-no-18%E2%80%94arial-addendum-no-3/|website=Blue Pencil|access-date=1 July 2015|archive-date=9 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209170323/https://www.paulshawletterdesign.com/2011/10/blue-pencil-no-18%E2%80%94arial-addendum-no-3/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Shaw (& Nicholas)|title=Arial addendum no. 4|url=http://www.paulshawletterdesign.com/2011/11/blue-pencil-no-18%E2%80%94arial-addendum-no-4/|website=Blue Pencil|access-date=1 July 2015|archive-date=9 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209170310/https://www.paulshawletterdesign.com/2011/11/blue-pencil-no-18%E2%80%94arial-addendum-no-4/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=McDonald|first1=Rob|title=Some history about Arial|url=http://www.paulshawletterdesign.com/2011/09/blue-pencil-no-18%E2%80%94some-history-about-arial/|website=Paul Shaw Letter Design|access-date=22 May 2015|archive-date=29 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929213006/https://www.paulshawletterdesign.com/2011/09/blue-pencil-no-18%E2%80%94some-history-about-arial/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Step Inside Design |last=Haley |first=Allan |url=http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEP/Article/28763/ |title=Is Arial Dead Yet? |date=May–June 2007 |access-date=2011-05-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719133850/http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEP/Article/28763/ |archive-date=July 19, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=Monotype Imaging |url=http://www.monotypeimaging.com/ProductsServices/TypeDesignerShowcase/RobinNicholas/Samples.aspx?type=samp3 |title=Type Designer Showcase: Robin Nicholas – Arial|access-date=2011-05-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714113415/http://www.monotypeimaging.com/ProductsServices/TypeDesignerShowcase/RobinNicholas/Samples.aspx?type=samp3 |archive-date=2011-07-14}}</ref> Some of these sets were created in order to be freely redistributable, for example [[Red Hat]]'s [[Liberation fonts]] and Google's [[Croscore fonts]], which duplicate the PostScript set and other common fonts used in [[Microsoft]] software such as [[Calibri]].<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://fedorahosted.org/liberation-fonts/ | title = Liberation Fonts | publisher = Fedora | access-date = 2016-01-15 | archive-date = 2017-02-15 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170215065644/https://fedorahosted.org/liberation-fonts/ | url-status = live }}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=(a) [[WP:PRIMARY]] (b) Page redirects to another site (c) target page is uninformative|date=November 2021}} It is not a requirement that a metrically compatible design be identical to its origin in appearance apart from width.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Schwartz|first1=Christian|title=DB|url=http://www.christianschwartz.com/db.shtml|website=Schwartzco|access-date=16 July 2015|archive-date=22 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422014153/http://christianschwartz.com/db.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Serifs===
{{multiple image
| image1 = Typeface-thesis.jpg
| caption1 = Serifs within the [[Thesis (typeface)|Thesis]] typeface family
| width1 = 180
| image2 = Regular italic swash cap.png
| caption2 = Italic capital swashes in the typeface [[Minion (typeface)|Minion]]
| width2 = 143
}}
Although most typefaces are characterised by their use of [[serif]]s, there are [[font superfamily|superfamilies]] that incorporate serif (antiqua) and [[sans-serif]] (grotesque) or even intermediate [[slab serif]] (Egyptian) or semi-serif fonts with the same base outlines.
A more common font variant, especially of serif typefaces, is that of alternate capitals. They can have [[swash (typography)|swash]]es to go with italic minuscules or they can be of a flourish design for use as [[initial]]s (''drop caps'').
=== Character variants ===
[[File:Regular and schoolbook characters.png|thumb|left|[[EB Garamond]]'s regular and schoolbook versions of ''a'' and ''g''. Single-storey characters are more commonly found as default in [[Sans-serif#Geometric|geometric]] [[sans-serif]] fonts such as [[Century Gothic]], shown at bottom.]]
[[File:SIL font feature selection (Andika) 2.png|thumb|left|The Open Type [[Andika (typeface)|Andika]] font in a word-processor with two character variants selected]]
Typefaces may be made in variants for different uses. These may be issued as separate font files, or the different characters may be included in the same font file if the font is a modern format such as [[OpenType]] and the application used can support this.<ref>{{cite web|title=What's OpenType?|url=http://www.typography.com/techniques/opentype/|publisher=Hoefler & Frere-Jones|access-date=7 August 2015|archive-date=30 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330154644/https://www.typography.com/techniques/opentype/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Peters|first1=Yves|title=Why a better OpenType UI matters|url=http://ilovetypography.com/2014/10/25/why-a-better-opentype-user-interface-matters/|website=i love typography|date=24 October 2014|access-date=14 August 2015|archive-date=14 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814164112/https://ilovetypography.com/2014/10/25/why-a-better-opentype-user-interface-matters/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Benedek |first1=Andy |title=Calligraphic-style Fonts: Problems and Solutions |journal=The Edward Johnston Foundation Journal |pages=2–12 |url=http://www.ejf.org.uk/Resources/ABenedek.pdf |access-date=21 September 2023 |archive-date=25 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125030409/http://www.ejf.org.uk/Resources/ABenedek.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
Alternative characters are often called stylistic alternates. These may be switched on to allow users more flexibility to customise the typeface to suit their needs. The practice is not new: in the 1930s, [[Gill Sans]], a British design, was sold abroad with alternative characters to make it resemble typefaces such as [[Futura (typeface)|Futura]] popular in other countries, while [[Bembo]] from the same period has two shapes of "R": one with a stretched-out leg, matching its fifteenth-century model, and one less-common shorter version.<ref>{{cite web|title=Specimen Book of Monotype Printing Types (photograph)|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/bogtrykkeren/5331070318|website=Flickr|date=6 January 2011|access-date=3 May 2015|archive-date=28 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828115507/https://www.flickr.com/photos/bogtrykkeren/5331070318|url-status=live}}</ref> With modern digital fonts, it is possible to group related alternative characters into stylistic sets, which may be turned on and off together. For example, in [[Caslon#Williams Caslon Text (2010)|Williams Caslon Text]], a revival of the 18th century [[Caslon]] typeface, the default italic forms have many swashes matching the original design. For a more spare appearance, these can all be turned off at once by engaging stylistic set 4.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Berkson|first1=William|title=Williams Caslon Text features manual|url=http://www.fontbureau.com/media/pdf/WilliamsCaslonText-Features.pdf|publisher=Font Bureau|access-date=7 August 2015|archive-date=1 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301105736/http://www.fontbureau.com/media/pdf/WilliamsCaslonText-Features.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Junicode]], intended for academic publishing, uses ss15 to enable a [[E caudata|variant form of "e"]] used in medieval Latin. A corporation commissioning a modified version of a commercial computer font for their own use, meanwhile, might request that their preferred alternates be set to default.
It is common for typefaces intended for use in books for young children to use simplified, single-storey forms of the lowercase letters ''a'' and ''g'' (sometimes also ''t'', ''y'', ''l'' and the digit ''4''); these may be called ''infant'' or ''schoolbook'' alternates. They are traditionally believed to be easier for children to read and less confusing as they resemble the forms used in handwriting.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Walker |first1=Sue |last2=Reynolds |first2=Linda |title=Serifs, sans serifs and infant characters in children's reading books |journal=Information Design Journal |date=1 January 2003 |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=106–122 |doi=10.1075/idj.11.2.04wal}}</ref> Often schoolbook characters are released as a supplement to popular families such as [[Akzidenz-Grotesk]], [[Gill Sans]] and [[Bembo]]; a well-known font intended specifically for school use is [[Sassoon Sans]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Coles |first1=Stephen |title=Design Museum |url=http://fontsinuse.com/uses/11997/design-museum-identity-2003-2016 |website=Fonts In Use |date=20 March 2016 |access-date=13 July 2016 |archive-date=14 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814170604/https://fontsinuse.com/uses/11997/design-museum-identity-2003-2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bembo Infant |url=https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/mti/bembo/ |website=MyFonts |access-date=1 May 2016 |archive-date=27 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027123357/https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/mti/bembo |url-status=live }}</ref>
Besides alternate characters, in the metal type era ''[[The New York Times]]'' commissioned custom condensed single sorts for common long names that might often appear in news headings, such as [[Dwight Eisenhower|"Eisenhower"]], [[Neville Chamberlain|"Chamberlain"]] or [[Rockefeller family|"Rockefeller"]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dunlap |first1=David |title=1952 {{!}} 'Eisenhower,' a True Campaign Logo |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/23/insider/1952-eisenhower-a-true-campaign-logo.html?mcubz=1 |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=23 June 2016 |access-date=20 August 2017 |archive-date=27 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427032537/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/23/insider/1952-eisenhower-a-true-campaign-logo.html?mcubz=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{clear}}
====Digits====
[[Image:Mediaevalziffern.svg|thumb|right|[[Hoefler Text]] uses [[text figures]] as its default digits, providing uppercase or lining figures as an alternative.]]
Fonts can have multiple kinds of digits, including, as described above, proportional (variable width) and tabular (fixed width) as well as lining (uppercase height) and text (lowercase height) figures. They may also include separate shapes for superscript and subscript digits. Professional computer fonts may include even more complex settings for typesetting digits, such as digits intended to match the height of small caps.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shinn |first1=Nick |title=Shinntype Modern Suite specification |url=http://shinntype.com/wp-content/uploads/files/pdf/Scotch_Modern.pdf |publisher=Shinntype |access-date=16 October 2015 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225042806/http://shinntype.com/wp-content/uploads/files/pdf/Scotch_Modern.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Paciencias specification|url=http://www.typographias.com/|publisher=Typographias|access-date=16 October 2015|archive-date=17 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117233617/http://www.typographias.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, some fonts such as Adobe's Acumin and [[Christian Schwartz]]'s [[Helvetica#Neue Haas Grotesk (2010)|Neue Haas Grotesk]] digitisation offer two heights of lining (uppercase height) figures: one slightly lower than cap height, intended to blend better into continuous text, and one at exactly the cap height to look better in combination with capitals for uses such as UK postcodes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Neue Haas Grotesk|url=http://www.fontbureau.com/nhg/|publisher=The Font Bureau, Inc.|page=Introduction|access-date=2015-10-16|archive-date=2021-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509102111/http://www.fontbureau.com/NHG/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.linotype.com/6598/neuehaasgrotesk.html |title=Neue Haas Grotesk - Font News |publisher=Linotype.com |access-date=2013-09-21 |archive-date=2015-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905090017/http://www.linotype.com/6598/neuehaasgrotesk.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.christianschwartz.com/haasgrotesk.shtml |title=Schwartzco Inc |publisher=Christianschwartz.com |access-date=2013-09-21 |archive-date=2021-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420025921/http://www.christianschwartz.com/haasgrotesk.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Slimbach |first1=Robert |title=Acumin - usage |url=http://acumin.typekit.com/usage/ |website=Typekit |publisher=[[Adobe Systems]] |access-date=16 October 2015 |archive-date=15 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115113811/http://acumin.typekit.com/usage/ |url-status=live }}</ref> With the OpenType format, it is possible to bundle all these into a single digital font file, but earlier font releases may have only one type per file.
== See also ==
* [[Clip font]]
* [[Font embedding]]
* [[Graphics]]
* [[List of typefaces]]
* [[Text color]]
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==Notes==
{{notelist|30em}}
== Further reading ==
*Blackwell, Lewis. ''20th Century Type.'' Yale University Press: 2004. {{ISBN|0-300-10073-6}}.
*Fiedl, Frederich, Nicholas Ott and Bernard Stein. ''Typography: An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Through History.'' Black Dog & Leventhal: 1998. {{ISBN|1-57912-023-7}}.
*Lupton, Ellen. ''Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students,'' Princeton Architectural Press: 2004. {{ISBN|1-56898-448-0}}.
*Headley, Gwyn. ''The Encyclopaedia of Fonts.'' Cassell Illustrated: 2005. {{ISBN|1-84403-206-X}}.
*Macmillan, Neil. ''An A–Z of Type Designers.'' Yale University Press: 2006. {{ISBN|0-300-11151-7}}.
{{wiktionary}}
{{Typography terms}}
[[Category:Typesetting]]
[[Category:Typography]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Typefaces| ]]