Typography Glossary
Explore the world of typography and digital type through words, definitions, and mini-tutorials on using fonts in desktop publishing. Take a look at the terminology of graphics, especially as it applies to desktop publishing.
These are just the briefest of definitions of Typography terminology. For more detailed descriptions see the individual page for each term.
Alpha Index of All Desktop Publishing Terms
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Q X Y Z
These are just the briefest of definitions of Typography terminology. For more detailed descriptions see the individual page for each term.
Alpha Index of All Desktop Publishing Terms
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Q X Y Z
Accent Mark (Diacritical)
Marks used on some characters to denote a specific pronounciation...
Marks used on some characters to denote a specific pronounciation...
Agate Line
Still used as a unit of measure in advertising space in some newsletters and newspapers...
Still used as a unit of measure in advertising space in some newsletters and newspapers...
Agate
A standard unit of measurement found primarily in newspaper publishing...
A standard unit of measurement found primarily in newspaper publishing...
Aliasing (Jaggies)
Jagged edges on curves and diagonal lines in a bitmap image...
Jagged edges on curves and diagonal lines in a bitmap image...
Alignment
Lining up the top, bottom, sides, or middle of text or graphic elements on a page...
Lining up the top, bottom, sides, or middle of text or graphic elements on a page...
All Caps
Text set completely in uppercase...
Text set completely in uppercase...
Ampersand
The typographic symbol used to designate the word and (& ) is the Latin symbol for et which means and...
The typographic symbol used to designate the word and (& ) is the Latin symbol for et which means and...
Ancient (Old Style)
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
Anti-Aliasing
The process of smoothing out jaggies...
The process of smoothing out jaggies...
Antiqua (Old Style)
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
Aperture
A partially enclosed, somewhat rounded negative space in some characters...
A partially enclosed, somewhat rounded negative space in some characters...
Apex
The point at the top of a character such as the uppercase A...
The point at the top of a character such as the uppercase A...
Arm
The arm of a letter is the horizontal stroke on some characters that does not connect to a stroke or stem at one or both ends...
The arm of a letter is the horizontal stroke on some characters that does not connect to a stroke or stem at one or both ends...
Ascender
The upward vertical stem on some lowercase letters, such as h and b, that extends above the x-height...
The upward vertical stem on some lowercase letters, such as h and b, that extends above the x-height...
Asterisk
The star-like symbol (*) used in literature, math, computing, and many other fields...
The star-like symbol (*) used in literature, math, computing, and many other fields...
At Sign @
The at sign (@) means each, at, or each at...
The at sign (@) means each, at, or each at...
Ball Terminal (Terminal)
Combination of a dot or circular stroke and the curved bit at the end of some tails and the end of some arms..
Combination of a dot or circular stroke and the curved bit at the end of some tails and the end of some arms..
Bang ! (Exclamation)
Another name for a punctuation mark used in English and other languages to denote an exclamatory statement...
Another name for a punctuation mark used in English and other languages to denote an exclamatory statement...
Bar (Crossbar)
The (usually) horizontal stroke across the middle of uppercase A and H...
The (usually) horizontal stroke across the middle of uppercase A and H...
Barb (Spur)
A small bit at the end of certain curved portions of a letterform...
A small bit at the end of certain curved portions of a letterform...
Baroque (Old Style)
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
Base 14 Fonts
A specific common Type 1 fonts installed as a part of the Adobe Acrobat installation...
A specific common Type 1 fonts installed as a part of the Adobe Acrobat installation...
Baseline
The imaginary line upon which a line of text rests...
The imaginary line upon which a line of text rests...
Beak Terminal (Terminal)
The sharp spur or beak at the end of a letterform's arm and the curved bit between the beak and the arm...
The sharp spur or beak at the end of a letterform's arm and the curved bit between the beak and the arm...
Beak
A type of decorative stroke at the end of the arm of a letter...
A type of decorative stroke at the end of the arm of a letter...
Black
Black is an ink and a typeface style...
Black is an ink and a typeface style...
Blackletter
A style of typeface based on early written forms that features elaborate thick to thin strokes and serifs...
A style of typeface based on early written forms that features elaborate thick to thin strokes and serifs...
Body Copy
The main text found in the publications we read...
The main text found in the publications we read...
Bold
Thicker strokes than roman text...
Thicker strokes than roman text...
Bowl
The curved part of the character that encloses the circular or curved parts (counter) of some letters...
The curved part of the character that encloses the circular or curved parts (counter) of some letters...
Bracket
A curved or wedge-like connection between the stem and serif of some fonts...
A curved or wedge-like connection between the stem and serif of some fonts...
Bullet
A typographic symbol used to call attention to lines of text such as in a list...
A typographic symbol used to call attention to lines of text such as in a list...
Capitals or Capital Letters (Uppercase)
A B C D E F G H I J K...
A B C D E F G H I J K...
Cat's Ear (Spur)
A small bit at the end of certain curved portions of a letterform...
A small bit at the end of certain curved portions of a letterform...
Center Alignment
Lining up the top, bottom, sides, or middle of text or graphic elements on the center of the page or with the center of other elements...
Lining up the top, bottom, sides, or middle of text or graphic elements on the center of the page or with the center of other elements...
Chin
Some capital G's like to keep their chin up...
Some capital G's like to keep their chin up...
Clarendon (Slab Serif)
A type of serif font that evolved from the Modern style...
A type of serif font that evolved from the Modern style...
Column Inch (Agate Line)
A unit of measure in advertising space in some newsletters and newspapers...
A unit of measure in advertising space in some newsletters and newspapers...
Counter
The enclosed or partially enclosed circular or curved negative space (white space) of some letters...
The enclosed or partially enclosed circular or curved negative space (white space) of some letters...
Cross Stroke
The horizontal stroke across the stem of a lowercase t or f...
The horizontal stroke across the stem of a lowercase t or f...
Crossbar
The (usually) horizontal stroke across the middle of uppercase A and H...
The (usually) horizontal stroke across the middle of uppercase A and H...
Descender
The portion of some lowercase letters, such as g and y, that extends or descends below the baseline...
The portion of some lowercase letters, such as g and y, that extends or descends below the baseline...
Diacritical
The accent marks used on some characters to denote a specific pronounciation...
The accent marks used on some characters to denote a specific pronounciation...
Didone (Modern)
A style of typeface developed in the late 18th century that continued through much of the 19th century...
A style of typeface developed in the late 18th century that continued through much of the 19th century...
Dingbat
A typographic ornament or graphic...
A typographic ornament or graphic...
Diphthong
A gliding vowel sound normally represented in type by a single ligature...
A gliding vowel sound normally represented in type by a single ligature...
Dot Leaders (Leaders)
Rows of dots...
Rows of dots...
Double-Storey a
A specific style of lowercase a...
A specific style of lowercase a...
Double-Storey g
A specific style of lowercase g...
A specific style of lowercase g...
Dummy Text (Lorem Ipsum)
Placeholder text...
Placeholder text...
Ear
A decorative flourish usually found on a g...
A decorative flourish usually found on a g...
End Sign
Used to mark the end of a story in a newsletter or magazine...
Used to mark the end of a story in a newsletter or magazine...
Exclamation !
A punctuation mark used in English and other languages to denote an exclamatory statement...
A punctuation mark used in English and other languages to denote an exclamatory statement...
Expert Characters
Special characters, symbols, and styles of fonts used in fine typography...
Special characters, symbols, and styles of fonts used in fine typography...
Extender
That part of a letter that extends above the x-height or below the baseline...
That part of a letter that extends above the x-height or below the baseline...
Eye
The enclosed space in a lowercase e...
The enclosed space in a lowercase e...
Finial a (Double-Storey a)
A specific style of lowercase a...
A specific style of lowercase a...
Finial
A somewhat tapered curved end on some letters or a swash or ornamental flourish...
A somewhat tapered curved end on some letters or a swash or ornamental flourish...
Flush (including Flush-left & Flush-right)
The alignment of text or graphics up against one side or another of the page or column...
The alignment of text or graphics up against one side or another of the page or column...
Font Smoothing (Anti-Aliasing)
Smoothing out the jaggies...
Smoothing out the jaggies...
Font
A specific typeface in a specific point size and style or a digital typeface...
A specific typeface in a specific point size and style or a digital typeface...
Fully Justified (Justification)
Another term for alignment...
Another term for alignment...
Garalde (Old Style)
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
Geometric (Sans Serif)
A classification of sans serif type...
A classification of sans serif type...
Gothic (1 - Blackletter)
A style of typeface based on early written forms that features elaborate thick to thin strokes and serifs...
A style of typeface based on early written forms that features elaborate thick to thin strokes and serifs...
Gothic (2 - Sans Serif)
Another term for sans serif type...
Another term for sans serif type...
Greeking
Placeholder text...
Placeholder text...
Grotesque (Sans Serif)
A classification of sans serif type...
A classification of sans serif type...
Hairline
Thinnest stroke, thinnest line, thinniest serif...
Thinnest stroke, thinnest line, thinniest serif...
Head
Lines of text introducing an article or sub-section...
Lines of text introducing an article or sub-section...
Humanist (Sans Serif)
A classification of sans serif type...
A classification of sans serif type...
Inverted Exclamation ¡
A punctuation mark used in some languages, such as Spanish...
A punctuation mark used in some languages, such as Spanish...
Italic
A style of slanted type...
A style of slanted type...
Jaggies
Jagged edges on curves and diagonal lines...
Jagged edges on curves and diagonal lines...
Justification
Another term for alignment...
Another term for alignment...
Justified (Justification)
Another term for alignment...
Another term for alignment...
Kerning Pair
Commonly kerned pairs of letters with the spacing already adjusted for best visual appearance...
Commonly kerned pairs of letters with the spacing already adjusted for best visual appearance...
Kerning
The adjustment of space between pairs of letters...
The adjustment of space between pairs of letters...
Leaders
Rows of dots...
Rows of dots...
Leading
The space between lines of type...
The space between lines of type...
Leg
The lower, down sloping stroke of the K and k...
The lower, down sloping stroke of the K and k...
Ligature
Two or more letters combined into one character...
Two or more letters combined into one character...
Line Spacing (Leading)
The space between lines of type...
The space between lines of type...
Lining Figures
A modern style of numerals...
A modern style of numerals...
Link
Small, usually curved stroke in a double-storey g...
Small, usually curved stroke in a double-storey g...
Loop
The enclosed or partially enclosed part of some types of letters...
The enclosed or partially enclosed part of some types of letters...
Lorem Ipsum
Placeholder text with a Latin twist...
Placeholder text with a Latin twist...
Lowercase
Little letters... a b c d e f g h i j k...
Little letters... a b c d e f g h i j k...
Modern Transitional (Transitional)
A style of type that evolved from the Antiqua or Old Style of type of the 16th and 17th centuries...
A style of type that evolved from the Antiqua or Old Style of type of the 16th and 17th centuries...
Modern
Style of type with high contrast between thick and thin strokes and flat serifs...
Style of type with high contrast between thick and thin strokes and flat serifs...
Neck (Link)
A small, usually curved stroke in the double-storey g...
A small, usually curved stroke in the double-storey g...
Neo-Grotesque (Sans Serif)
A classification of sans serif type...
A classification of sans serif type...
New Antiqua (Modern)
A style of typeface developed in the late 18th century that continued through much of the 19th century...
A style of typeface developed in the late 18th century that continued through much of the 19th century...
Non-Lining Figures (Old Style Figures)
Style of Arabic Numerals...
Style of Arabic Numerals...
Oblique
Kind of slanted or tilted type...
Kind of slanted or tilted type...
Old English (Blackletter)
A style of typeface based on early written forms that features elaborate thick to thin strokes and serifs...
A style of typeface based on early written forms that features elaborate thick to thin strokes and serifs...
Old Style Figures
Style of Arabic Numerals...
Style of Arabic Numerals...
Old Style
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
OpenType Fonts
An extension of the TrueType font format...
An extension of the TrueType font format...
Pica
A typesetting unit of measurement commonly used for measuring lines of type...
A typesetting unit of measurement commonly used for measuring lines of type...
Placeholder Text (Lorem Ipsum)
Stand-in for the real words...
Stand-in for the real words...
Point
A unit of measurement that is the standard for measuring type and is used for measuring depth of printing...
A unit of measurement that is the standard for measuring type and is used for measuring depth of printing...
PostScript Fonts (Type 1 Fonts)
Digital type technology based on the Adobe PostScript language...
Digital type technology based on the Adobe PostScript language...
Printer's Ornaments (Dingbat)
A typographic ornament or graphic...
A typographic ornament or graphic...
Pull-Quote
A small selection of text "pulled out and quoted" in a larger typeface...
A small selection of text "pulled out and quoted" in a larger typeface...
Ragged (including Ragged-left & Ragged-right)
A kind of text alignment...
A kind of text alignment...
Renaissance (Old Style)
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
A style of font developed by Renaissance typographers to replace the Blackletter style of type...
Roman
One of three major type classifications of Western typography...
One of three major type classifications of Western typography...
Sans Serif
Fonts without serifs...
Fonts without serifs...
Serif - Basics
Fonts with a little extra stroke...
Fonts with a little extra stroke...
Serif - Type Anatomy
The little extra stroke found at the end of main vertical and horizontal strokes of some letterforms. Serifs fall into various groups...
The little extra stroke found at the end of main vertical and horizontal strokes of some letterforms. Serifs fall into various groups...
Short Ranging Figures (Lining Figures)
Modern style of numerals where all figures are of the same height and rest on the baseline...
Modern style of numerals where all figures are of the same height and rest on the baseline...
Slab Serif
A type of serif font that evolved from the Modern style...
A type of serif font that evolved from the Modern style...
Small Caps
Capital or uppercase letters that are a smaller size than regular capitals in a given font...
Capital or uppercase letters that are a smaller size than regular capitals in a given font...
Spline
The main left to right curving stroke in S and s...
The main left to right curving stroke in S and s...
Spur
A small bit at the end of certain curved portions of a letterform...
A small bit at the end of certain curved portions of a letterform...
Square Serif (Slab Serif)
A type of serif font that evolved from the Modern style...
A type of serif font that evolved from the Modern style...
Star (Asterisk)
The star-like symbol (*) used in literature, math, computing, and many other fields...
The star-like symbol (*) used in literature, math, computing, and many other fields...
Stem
The main, usually vertical stroke of a letterform...
The main, usually vertical stroke of a letterform...
Stroke
The main diagonal portion of a letterform such as in N, M, or Y...
The main diagonal portion of a letterform such as in N, M, or Y...
Tab Leaders (Leaders)
Rows of dots...
Rows of dots...
Tail
The descending stroke, often decorative, on some letters such as the Q...
The descending stroke, often decorative, on some letters such as the Q...
Terminal
A type of curve...
A type of curve...
Text Composition
How the type is arranged and how it looks on the page...
How the type is arranged and how it looks on the page...
Tilted
Used to represent italic or oblique typefaces...
Used to represent italic or oblique typefaces...
Tombstoning
Heads that line up horizontally in a multi-column layout...
Heads that line up horizontally in a multi-column layout...
Tracking
The adjustment of letterspacing for words, phrases, and extended blocks of text...
The adjustment of letterspacing for words, phrases, and extended blocks of text...
Transitional
A style of type with medium contrast between thick and thin strokes, less left-inclined stress than earlier Old Style faces, and a triangular or flat tip where diagonal strokes meet...
A style of type with medium contrast between thick and thin strokes, less left-inclined stress than earlier Old Style faces, and a triangular or flat tip where diagonal strokes meet...
TrueType Fonts
Font technnology originally designed by Apple Computer but widely associated with the Microsoft Windows platform...
Font technnology originally designed by Apple Computer but widely associated with the Microsoft Windows platform...
Type 1 Fonts
Digital type based on the Adobe PostScript language...
Digital type based on the Adobe PostScript language...
Type Composition (Text Composition)
Arranging type on the page...
Arranging type on the page...
Type Designer
One who designs type...
One who designs type...
Type
A catchall term for all letterforms used to convey words or another term for typefaces or digital fonts...
A catchall term for all letterforms used to convey words or another term for typefaces or digital fonts...
Typesetter
One who sets the type...
One who sets the type...
Typesetting
Putting the words in the right type...
Putting the words in the right type...
Typewriter (Slab Serif)
A classification of slab serif fonts...
A classification of slab serif fonts...
Typographer
One who knows a lot about type and printing...
One who knows a lot about type and printing...
Typography
The design and use of typefaces as a means of visual communication from calligraphy to the ever-developing use of digital type is the broad use of the term...
The design and use of typefaces as a means of visual communication from calligraphy to the ever-developing use of digital type is the broad use of the term...
Uppercase
Big letters... A B C D E F G H...
Big letters... A B C D E F G H...
Venetian (Old Style)
One of two classes of Old Style fonts...
One of two classes of Old Style fonts...
X-Height
Distance between the baseline of a line of type and tops of the main body of lower case letters...
Distance between the baseline of a line of type and tops of the main body of lower case letters...