Glossary F

family

figures

The set of arabic numerals used in typography with the Latin alphabet to represent numbers. They exist in two forms: the lining numerals and the old-style numerals. Also, any combination of the individual numerals. In book design, illustrations printed with the text are known as figures. See also numeral.

figure space

A nonprinting space equal to the width of the tabular numerals, which are all assigned the same width to aid in tabular setting.

fit

A relative term describing the visual effect of the space between characters in a typeface, for example, a loose fit, a tight fit. Refers to metal, photo-, and digital typesetting. To determine the fit describes the process of assigning spaces to either side of each character in a typeface to create a relatively uniform overall appearance in copy. See also fitted.

fitted

Describes characters with aesthetically assigned spaces on either side. Most characters in a typeface are fitted; fitted characters are also sometimes provided as alternates for tabular characters (which occupy consistent widths). For example, the numeral 1 is often assigned a fitted width in typefaces intended to be used for display composition, even when other numerals occupy a tabular width, because its design is usually slightly narrower than that of other numerals.

fixed accent

A diacritic contained in an accented letter that has been created by the type designer or manufacturer as a single unit (character). An alternative to floating accent.

fixed pitch, fixed-pitch typeface

See monospaced typeface.

fixed space

A nonprinting space whose width is always the same in relation to the point size. Different from a word space, which changes when lines of type are justified. Widths that may exist as fixed spaces in digital typesetting include the hair space, thin space (5-to-em [5-em] or sometimes 4-to-em [4-em] space), en space, em space, figure space, and punctuation space (also called punctuation width).

Typeface and software manufacturers have assigned somewhat varying definitions to these spaces. In desktop publishing some spaces are not available in every character set or software application. Typographic style rules indicate many different applications for these spaces. In composition with metal type, fixed spaces typically included hair spaces of different widths, also the thin space, middle space (4-to-em space), thick space (3-to-em [3-em] space), en space (en quad), and em space (em quad).

fleuron

See flower.

flip

See mirror.

floating accent

A separate diacritical mark that can be combined with another character. See also fixed accent, composite character.

flourish

An ornamental stroke or combination of strokes, usually based on calligraphic writing. May be attached to a letter or other character (as in a swash letter) or serve as a separate, decorative character. See also ornament, swash letter.

flower

A decorative typographic character. Includes some characters that are not floral in design. Also known as fleuron, printer's flower, floret. Flowers are in a category of characters known as ornaments or type ornaments.

flush left, flush right

See ragged right, ragged left.

font

Traditionally, a complete set of characters, such as letters, numerals, punctuation marks, diacritics, and other symbols in a particular typeface; in the composition of metal type - and sometimes also in photo- and digital typesetting - also in a particular size. When a typeface has more than one master design (separate design versions, for example, for text and display use), each version may also be considered a separate font.

Also used to refer to a particular selection of characters from a specific typeface, assembled by the type manufacturer or designer to serve a defined purpose (for example, the Expert fonts of Monotype Garamond.) Widespread contemporary usage of this term varies considerably from the traditional definition. For example, font sometimes refers to the physical form of a typeface, such as a film negative or a computer code stored on a floppy disk. In general use font is increasingly used to mean typeface, although traditionalists object to this usage. In the U.K., traditionally spelled fount.

font metrics

In digital typesetting, information such as character widths, measurements of character heights, and kerning values that accompanies a font.

fraction

A numeric symbol used to denote a portion of a whole. Common or vulgar fractions (as distinguished from decimal fractions) consist of three components: a numerator, a denominator, and a dividing line (as in / or -). In typesetting, common fractions may exist as single characters or may be built up from two, three, or more separate characters. See also built-up fraction, case fraction, composite character, diagonal fraction, horizontal fraction, piece fraction.

full-bodied

Describes a letter that occupies nearly the full height of the body (typeface size), such as the italic f.