Typographic terms

Most of us use these very casually (and erroneously). As an instant guide to correct use of someone else's technical terms, we offer the list below.

typeface

is an `abstract design idea for how letters are to be presented'. Examples of typefaces are Times New Roman, Helvetica and Baskerville. A typeface can be realised in various sizes and fonts (see below).

font

describes a particular aspect of a typeface, often in a particular size. Examples of fonts are bold, roman, italic, slanted and condensed.

point

is a printer's measure of size. A point can be taken as being approximately of an inch. Font size is measured in points; for example, this document is set in 11-point type.

serif

is a small lateral extension at the end of a stroke. These are found in various forms in many typefaces, and are considered to be an aid to faster reading of a document, since they help to create the imaginary line followed by the eye as a line of text is read. Most books (and this guide) are set in typefaces that have serifs.

For a fuller description of typographical terms, the book by Rubinstein described in the next section is particularly recommended.