Here's a glossary of common type terminology, which along with the FAQs may answer many font related questions. If the information you need isn't here, call us.

Adobe Type Manager (ATM): Adobe Type Manager (or ATM) is a font utility published by Adobe that allows your computer to use PostScript fonts. There are two versions of ATM, Lite (regular) and Deluxe. Both versions rasterize the PostScript fonts so that you can view and print them, but the Deluxe version acts as a font management utility so you can organize your fonts for easy use. Download your own copy of ATM Light for free by choosing the version appropriate for your operating system below.

ATM Light 4.61 for Macintosh (.hqx / 3.43 MB)
ATM Light 4.1 for Windows 95/98/ME/NT4 (.exe / 12.11 MB )

* Windows 2000, XP and Mac OS X natively support PostScript and thus do not require ATM.

Adobe Font Metrics (AFM): A text file that stores font metrics information such as character widths and kerning pairs. This file is often not needed as long as there is a PFM file (Windows format), so some fonts may come without an AFM file.

Anti-aliasing: Blurring the edges of a font on screen to soften the look of bitmapped type. Anti-aliasing is usually desirable at large point sizes (16 points or above).

Baseline: The imaginary line upon which the letters in a font appear to rest.

Bitmaps: The files contained in the Macintosh bitmap suitcase, used for screen display on systems that are not equipped with Adobe Type Manager. They are still necessary for display and printing, even if you have ATM. Also referred to as "screen fonts".

Cap height: The height of the uppercase letters.

Delta hinting: Instructions added to a TrueType font, allowing it to display nicely at any point size on screen. Delta hinting does not affect printing, nor is it available for PostScript fonts. Due to the time required to create delta hints, most fonts do not include them. Delta hinting is expensive, but makes for quality TrueType fonts.

EULA (End User License Agreement): As with most software, fonts are licensed to individuals and organizations. The EULA defines the terms and provisions for use of the font software. The EULA also indicates the number of CPUs the fonts may be installed on. The number of CPUs for which a font is initially licensed can vary depending on the manufacturer. View EULA.

Expert set: A font that contains special characters, such as fractions, ligatures, extra accents, and alternate glyphs. Because TrueType and PostScript only support a certain number of glyphs, some characters that are not used as frequently come in an expert font. OpenType fonts on the other hand, have the capacity for thousands of glyphs, so one font can include all these extras plus other glyph sets such as small caps.

Font (also, fount): A collection of typefaces that typically share design elements.

Glyph: Every character in a typeface, (e.g: G, ?, and 7), is represented by a glyph. A typeface may contain more than one glyph for each character. These are usually referred to as alternates.

Hinting: Guidelines added to a font to help it print and display more consistently at small sizes. Most fonts contain some form of hinting, ranging from very cursory to very thorough. See Delta hinting.

INF: A file accompanying PostScript fonts for Windows. The INF file contains information for families that contain style-linking, and is required to use the fonts.

Kerning: Kerning refers to the horizontal space between individual pairs of letters (a kerning pair). Fonts that are properly kerned appear evenly spaced without large open gaps of white space between characters.

Leading: The vertical space between lines of text (baseline to baseline). Also known as linespacing.

Ligatures: Special characters that are actually two letters combined into one. In cases where two adjacent characters would normally bump into each other, a ligature allows the letters to flow together more gracefully. This usually makes word shapes more aesthetically pleasing. Some common ligatures are "fi", "fl", "ff", "ffl", etc.

Lining figures (LF): Numbers that rest on the baseline, and are usually the same heights as capital letters. Lining figures are usually tabular.

Monospaced: A font in which every character has the same width, and no kerning pairs. This allows for neatly set columns of text and tables.

Oblique: A font that is slanted. Oblique fonts are different from italic fonts, in that they are mechanically sheared, then slightly adjusted. Italic fonts, on the other hand, are designed differently from upright or roman versions. They are usually narrower than their roman counterparts, and reflect more of a calligraphic sensibility than lowercase oblique fonts.

Oldstyle figures (OSF): Numbers that have different heights, some aligning to the baseline, some below. Oldstyle figures harmonize well with lowercase letters. Using oldstyle figures helps keep the numbers from standing out too much and disturbing the overall flow of the typography on the page.

OpenType: OpenType fonts are less common than fonts in the other formats because the technology is relatively new. The biggest advantage shared by all OpenType fonts is cross-platform capability. The single font file will work on both Mac and Windows systems. Some OpenType fonts include expanded character sets and special features like automatic ligatures and alternate glyphs. OpenType is the best format for most purposes.

Pixel: Originally, this word was short for the term "picture element". A pixel is a single rectangular point in a larger graphic image composed of many rectangular points. Computer monitors can display pictures because the screen is divided into millions of pixels arranged in rows and columns. Pixels are so close together that from a distance they appear to be connected.

Printer Font Binary (PFB): The outline font for a PostScript font on the PC. See also printer files.

Printer Font Metrics (PFM): The metrics file for a PostScript font on the PC. The PFM contains spacing and kerning information that is required to use the font.

PostScript: A technology developed and trade marked by Adobe Systems, Inc. On older systems, PostScript fonts require Adobe Type Manager. On the Mac, PostScript fonts consist of a printer font and a bitmap suitcase, which should always be kept together.

PostScript fonts are generally more difficult to maintain, and some PostScript fonts have compatibility issues with some operating systems like Windows Vista. We highly recommend purchasing OpenType or TrueType fonts whenever possible.

Printer font: The vector font that a printer uses to draw character shapes. Printer fonts (sometimes called "outline" fonts) are also used by the operating system to draw letters on the screen.

Rasterization: The process by which vector information is converted into pixel information, which can then be displayed by a monitor or printed by a non-PostScript printer.

Small Caps (SC): Small caps are capital letters that are not the full height of the capital letters. Many applications can create small caps by scaling down the capital letters, but these false small caps lack the proper weight and proportions. A true small cap typeface retains the appropriate character weight but offers it at a smaller size.

Style-linking: Families of fonts that are grouped together under a single item in the font menu. To access other styles in a style-linked family, use the style buttons in the application that you are using.

Tabular Figures (TF): Numbers that share identical character widths (that is, they are monospaced). Using tabular figures enables you to set columns of numbers, and have them line up vertically. This is especially useful for tables, thus "tabular".

TrueType: A font format developed by Apple Systems, Inc. and licensed to Microsoft Corp. TrueType fonts are natively supported by the Windows and Mac operating Systems. On the Mac, both the printer and screen fonts are combined in a single TrueType font suitcase file.

Typeface: An artistic interpretation, or design, of a collection of written symbols. A typeface may include glyphs for alphabetic characters, numerals, punctuation, various symbols, and more — often for multiple languages. A typeface is usually grouped together in a family containing individual fonts for italic, bold, and other variations of the primary design.

Type foundry: A company that designs and produces original typefaces.

Vector: A mathematical equation that defines a curve or straight line. These lines define the shape of the font outline.

Weight: A single style or iteration of a typeface. Sometimes, the term "weight" is used to specifically refer to the heaviness of a typeface. However, it is often used as a general term for any style: Italic, Small Caps, Bold, Light Expert, etc.

x-height: The height of the lowercase letters, typically exemplified by the letter x.