QMS 1660, Reference Manual

Page: 25 / 306

About
Typefaces and
Fonts
3-3 Professional Printing
Typeface Classification
One way of classifying the different typefaces is to group them into
the following categories:
Serif
A serif is a decorative line or tail on the ends of the strokes of a letter.
Serifs, usually on the lower half of a letter, have also been
T
imes Roman
referred to as feet or curlicues.
Courier, ITC Bookman, New
Century Schoolbook, Palatino,
and Times are serif typefaces. In the example shown, all the letters
except “e” and “o” have serifs.
Sans Serif
Sans serif (“sans” is French for
“without”) indicates a typeface
without any of these small tails. A
H
elvetica
sans serif typeface is decorative by the shape and styling of its letters
but has less detail than a serif typeface. Helvetica, Helvetica
Condensed, Helvetica Narrow, and ITC Avant Garde Gothic are all
sans serif typefaces. In the example shown above, the slight curving
at the bottom of the letters “t” and “a” is not a serif. It is part of the line
forming the letter rather than a decorative line added on.
Script
Script typefaces simulate handwriting or brush lettering. Each letter is
Z
apf Chancery
connected visually, if not
physically. ITC Zapf Chancery is a
script typeface.