Type Anatomy
Terminology
To make the type selection easier below are some anatomical features you should know about. The understanding of these features will help you in making informed decisions for a better reading experience in XR.
Ascender – The part of a lowercase character (b, d, f, h, k, l, t) that extends above the x-height.
Bar – The horizontal stroke in characters such as A, H, R, e, and f. Bowl – A curved stroke that creates an enclosed space within a character (space is then called a counter). Cap Height – The height of capital letters from the baseline to the top of caps, most accurately measured on a character with a flat bottom (E, H, I, etc.). Counter – The partially or fully enclosed space within a character. Descender – The part of a character (g, j, p, q, y, and sometimes J) that descends below the baseline.
Stem – A straight vertical stroke (or the main straight diagonal stroke in a letter that has no verticals).
Stroke – A straight or curved line.
Terminal – The end of a stroke not terminated with a serif. X-height – The height of lowercase letters, specifically the lowercase x, not including ascenders and descenders.
Further Reading
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