Type

Type, characters, including letters, numbers, and punctuation marks, assembled to form words and sentences in the printing of books, magazines, and newspapers. Type consists of thousands of styles, or type faces (fonts), that fall into 4 categories: Roman type, with small finishing strokes (serifs) that extend outward from the characters; sans-serif type, lacking the serifs; script type, which closely resembles actual handwriting; and italic type, which is slanted to the right. Type size is measured by “points” in North America and England. One point equals 0.012837 in (0.3514598 mm) and most type ranges from 6 to 72 points. Movable type was invented in Asia in the 11th century and was introduced to Europe by Johannes Gutenberg in the 1440s. Type was later cast in lead and set by hand or machine. Today most type is set on computers programmed for correct size, style, and line width.

See also: Printing.