Fonts

A font is a set of letters composed in a single size and style. They were traditionally used  for writing to differentiate different styles of writing and were later ported to the computer for digital use. Different fonts can be associated with different time periods based on style and tools available. Typeface and font traditionally had two different meanings before the inception of the computer. They are now used interchangeably to describe different styles of characters.  Characteristics include weight, style (ie. Bold, Italic), size, x-height, serif or sans-serif. Weight refers to the overall thickness of the characters relative to their height. styles include Bold, Italic, or a combination of the two. Size refers to the height of the letters based on the x-height of the tallest letter. X-height refers to the distance between the baseline or the line that the letters sit on and the median or the imaginary line that marks the top of lower case letters. Serif is a small details usually like tails on the ends of letters in a typeface.