Typographic terms
Much of the vocabulary we use to describe type are artifacts of the early printing process using movable lead or wooden type.
Type - Alphanumeric characters for printing.
Typeface - All type of a single design, such as Helvetica or Times Roman.
Font - An assortment of type of a single size and style, such as 9 point Helvetica Italic. In movable type printing, individual letters were organized in large, flat drawers containing all the characters of a single size and style.
Type measurement - Type is measured in points. Another unit of measurement you see is the pica ( pronouced "PIE kah'). You should know 12 points = 1 pica and 6 picas = 1 inch.
Leading - The space between letters and lines are important too. Leading – pronounced "ledding," as in the element lead – refers to space between lines of text. When printing with movable type, space between lines of words was achieved by inserting thin strips of lead. Each strip was equivalent in thickness to one point. Typically two strips were added, becoming two points of leading. Today, automatic leading adds about 2 points of space between lines (e.g., 8 point type with auto leading is 10 points of leading. This may be expressed "8/10" or "eight over ten").
Kern - A part of a typeset letter that projects beyond its side bearings, such as the serif of the letter "b"
Kerning - Decreasing space between two letters, often so they touch or overlap.
Letterspacing - Adding space between letters. Opposite of kerning.
Tracking - A modern computer-based term referring to space between letters.
Serif - Times Roman is an example of a serif font. Serifs are the little ornamentations on the letters themselves. Serif fonts are generally easier to read than San Serif fonts at small sizes (8 point and smaller) or on long blocks of text.
San Serif - Helvetica is an example of a san serif font
Ascender - the part of a letter that is above the body. For example, the tall part of the letter "b."
Descender - the part of a letter that decends below the baseline. For example, the tail of the letter "y."
Body - the main portion of a letter. For example, the round portion of the letter "b." A lower case 'a' only has a body of the letter, no decenders or ascenders. A lower case 'd' has an ascender in addition to its body.
Headline or Display type – Type that introduces the text or grabs the reader's attention. Sizes are generally large, 14 pt or larger.
Subhead - Type smaller and visually less important thana headline, but still commands attention.
Body Type or Text - Type that is subordinate to the headline and makes up the main body of a page. Sizes are in the 6-12 point range. Lengthy text can be made more legible with the addition of a point or two of leading (e.g., 9 point type with 13 points of leading, 12 point type with 16 points of leading).
Text Justification or Alignment - Ragged or flush, centered, justified.
Widow - A single word on a line by itself at the end of a paragraph. Poor typographical form.
Orphan - A single word on a line by itself at the beginning of a column. Poor typographical form.
Words of advice
... Two aspects of a type … [are] … fundamental to its effectiveness. Because the common meaning of “legible” is “readable” there are those – even some professionally involved in typography – who think that the term “legibility” is all that is needed in any discussion on the effectiveness of types. But legibility and readability are separate, though connected aspects of type. Properly understood … the two terms can help to describe the character and function of type more precisely than legibility alone. … In typography we need to draw the definition … of legibility …to mean the quality of being decipherable and recognisable – so that we can say, for example, that the lowercase h in a particular old style italic is not legible in small sizes because its in-turned leg makes it look like the letter b; or a figure 3 in a classified advertisement is too similar to the 8. … In display sizes, legibility ceases to be a serious matter; a character that causes uncertainty at 8 point size is plain enough at 24 point.
-- Walter Tracy, Letters of Credit
Neat stuff
- The Chinese had a printing presses between 1041-1048. The Jikji, a guide for students in the essence of Buddhist practices, was printed in 1377 in Korea (the metal type volume predates the Gutenberg Bible of Germany by 78 years). German Johannes Guttenberg printed the Bible in 1440, which is widely accepted as sparking the European Renaissance.
- The area of a layout with type should be proportional to the unprinted area, and the choice of typeface should complement the content.
- Text in all capitals can be difficult to read because there is no variation in the letter forms, no ascenders and descenders.
- Most of the information of a letter is in the top portion. Try it for yourself! Get a newspaper that has headlines in upper and lower case letters and a piece of blank white paper. Cover the bottom half of a headline with the paper and I'll bet you can still read it. But cover the top half of the headline, and you'll probably have some difficulty making out the words.
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