chapter 2

glyph

A basic building block in typesetting that includes individual letters, numbers, and symbols. Groups of glyphs combined are referred to as a font.

type font

A complete set of letterforms (uppercase and lowercase), numerals, and punctuation marks in a particular typeface that allows for typesetting by keystroke on a computer or another means of typographic composition.

type family

A range of style variations based on a single typeface design.

drop cap

A text treatment in which the first letter of a paragraph is set larger usually aligned even with the cap height to indicate the beginning of a section of text.

point

A unit for measuring the height of type and vertical distance between lines of type.

uppercase

Capital or larger letters of a type font (A, B, C, etc.)

open type

Cross platform fonts that contain thousands of glyphs forming character sets that provide the designer with special characters and languages.

multiple master

Digital fonts containing two or more original master styles, allowing the designer the ability to insert variations between the masters to create an additional range of styles without compromising integrity.

pica

Equal to 12 points, approximately one-sixth of an inch.

character

Individual letterforms, numerals, punctuation marks, and other units that are part of a font.

type style

Modifications in a typeface that create design variety while maintaining the visual character of the typeface. These include variations in weight (light, medium, or bold), width (condensed or extended), or angle (italic or slanted versus roman or upright).

ligature

Pairs or groupings of letters that are physically joined together for the purpose of improving their aesthetic appearance.

lowercase

Smaller letters, as opposed to capital letters, of a type font.

interline spacing/leading

The amount of space between lines of type, measured in points. The term is derived from metal type where strips of lead were inserted between lines of type.

typeface

The design of a single set of letterforms, numerals, and punctuation marks unified by consistent visual properties. Typeface designs are identified by name, such as Helvetica and Garamond.

letter spacing/kerning

The distance between characters in a word or number and between words and punctuation in a line of type.

line length

The horizontal length of a line of type, traditionally measured in picas, but also in inches.

letterform

The particular style and form of each individual letter in an alphabet.

tracking

The same as letter spacing or the average space between letters in a text block.