Type Anatomy
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.
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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.