Anatomy of

Type

The Type Size is the measure of points

from

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...the highest
ascender
-to the lowest
descender.

Leading

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Stem

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Leading is measured from

the ascender of one line to
the ascender of the next line.

Type is measured in points.

72 points = 1 inch
1 point = 1/72 inch

X-Height

Ascender and Descender

Serifs

The baseline is
the invisible line
on which text
rests.

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The ascender is the part of a

fonts lowercase letter that is
taller than that fonts x-height.

The descender extends below the fonts baseline.

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Jarod Cielo

...is the distance

from the baseline to
the top of the body
of the letter...

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Overhang

Ear

The overhang is the line at the

top of an enclosed space.

An ear is a kind of serif that branches off a

continous stroke like a circle or an oval.

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Bowl

Counter

The bowl is the wide part of

a stroke that varies in width.

A counter is the enclosed space of a

continuous stroke like a circle or an oval.

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or the
height of a
lowercase
x.