Type Terminology Flashcards
Cap lineº
The imaginary line that runs along the top of the
uppercase letters.
Mean lineº
The imaginary line that runs along the top of most
lowercase letters.
Baseline
The imaginary line upon which the letters in a typeface
appear to sit.
Descender lineº
The imaginary line that runs along the bottom of
descenders.
Descender
The part of a select group of lowercase letters—namely
g, j, p, q, and y—that extends below the baseline.
Ascender
The part of a select group of lowercase letters—namely
b, d, f, h, k, l, and t—that extends above the mean line.
x-height
The height of the main body of most lowercase letters
extending from the baseline to the mean line.
Measuring type definition
Type size is determined by measuring the distance from
the cap line to the descender line (see p. 38 not p. 37).
Measuring type
As such, two typefaces with exactly the same point size
but different x-heights can appear to be different sizes.
Points
The common unit of measure for type is points.
There are approximately 72 points in an inch.
72 points x 12 inches = 864 pts/foot
Stem
The significant, full-length vertical stroke of an
uppercase or lowercase letterform.
Serif
The finishing strokes, or decorations, that project
from the main stroke of a letter.
Sans serifº
Letterforms without serifs.
Note
Items marked with a circleº are not included
in the Thinking with Type textbook.
Ligature
Two or more characters joined as a single letterform.
Spine
The curved stem of an uppercase or lowercase letter S.
Cross bar
The horizontal stroke across the middle of uppercase
letters like A, B, and H.
Counter
The space entirely or partially enclosed within
a letterform.
Overhang
A small section of curved letters that extends above or
below the mean line, baseline, and/or cap line.
Overhang
Without overhang, rounded letters would look smaller
than their squarer equivalents.
Uppercase & lowercase
The individual characters for metal type used to be
stored in two wooden cases.
The capital letters were stored in the upper case,
and the small letters were stored in the lower case.
Uppercase
The capital letters of the alphabet.
Lowercase
The small letters of the alphabet.
Blood
Small capitals
Capital letterforms are designed to match the x-height and
stroke weight of lowercase letters.
