Typography Lingo

Typeface:

A group of characters (letters, numbers and punctuation) that share a common design or style. Examples: Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica and Futura

Font:

The mechanical way the typeface is made - can be digital, hand-set, machine-set or phototype. All fonts that are created are of a typeface.

Type Family:

The different options available within a typeface - Bold, Italic and more

Point:

The size of the font. 1 point = 1/72 inch.

Serif:

A typeface that has lines at the ends of the strokes of the characters - aka the feet. Serifs make fonts easier to read since they guide the eye to the next letter.

Sans-Serif:

Without serif. A typeface that has no feet on the characters. They are easier to read on a screen and better for bigger blocks of text when used in print.

Pica:

A measurement for lines of text. 6 picas = 1 inch. 1 pica = 12 points.

Tracking:

The spacing between the characters in a block of text.

Kerning:

The spacing between two individual characters.

Leading:

The spacing between lines of text. Positive leading spaces the lines out and negative leading makes the lines overlap.

X-Height

The height of a typeface's lowercase x and usually the height of the body of all lowercase letters. It doesn't include ascenders and descenders.

Baseline:

An imaginary line where all of the characters of a typeface rest.

Alignment/Justification:

The positioning of text within the page margins - flush left, flush right, centered, justified.