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There are many words with meanings that apply only to typography
(fig. 7.1). The following sections explain point, pitch,
monospacing, proportional spacing, character set, family,
orientation, stroke weight, italic, and oblique.
Character (CAPS)
Base Line
Fig. 7.1 Typography Terms
Point Size
Point size refers to the vertical height of a typeface. A point is a
unit of measure (equal to
typesetters to show the height of a piece of metal type. Computer
typefaces are harder to measure since they are not physical objects.
In proportional fonts, size is usually described in points, which
measure height rather than width. In points, a higher number means
larger characters. One vertical inch height is 72 points. The
following example shows text in 8, 10, 12, 24, and 36 point sizes:
ABC
P r o f e s s i o n a l P r i n t i n g
Uppercase
Cap Height
(Key Size)
Serif
ABC
ABC
ABC
Ascender
Descender
⁄
1
of an inch) originally used by
72
ABC
Chapter 7
Type Size
X-Height
(Point)
Lowercase
Character (l.c.)
7 - 1 1
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