Questions tagged [typography]
The style and appearance of printed matter. The art or procedure of arranging type.
201
questions
284
votes
16
answers
58k
views
How many spaces should come after a period/full stop?
In the past — or at least, when I was in elementary school — periods/full stops were followed by two spaces. Lately, it's become more and more common to see just one space. In the modern ...
- 5,975
113
votes
3
answers
15k
views
How did 7 come to be an abbreviation for 'and' in Old English?
According to A History of the English Language: Revised Edition by Elly van Gelderen, p.53, in Old English the numeral 7 was used as an abbreviation for the word and:
Abbreviations are frequently ...
user28567
108
votes
10
answers
147k
views
Appropriate dash to use when attributing a quotation?
If I’m citing a poem or quotation, what kind of dash precedes the author’s name?
For example:
This Business of Printing; which I am heartily tired of, and repent I e’er attempted....
—John ...
- 1,081
90
votes
3
answers
192k
views
Should there be a space before a percent sign?
Should there be a space before a percent sign or not?
Should you write 20% or 20 %?
I'm not sure if there is any consensus about this or not. Is one way more common than the other?
- 1,385
74
votes
3
answers
36k
views
What is the error called when two letters are mistakenly swapped?
Generally this may be called typo but when particularly two letters of a word are mistakenly swapped, what is this error called? Some examples:
teh > the
fromat > format
comptuer > computer
- 35.7k
61
votes
3
answers
4k
views
58
votes
6
answers
61k
views
What were the rules for capitalising nouns in the 17th and 18th centuries?
It seems to have been common practice in the 17th and 18th centuries in English-language sources to capitalise the first letters of nouns, as in
At which Time he prov'd himself the Noah's Dove, that ...
- 4,078
56
votes
5
answers
12k
views
When should I not use a ligature in English typesetting?
Typesetting that goes beyond the scope of basic MS Word (e.g. LaTeX, or even modern Word versions with a good OpenType font) often uses ligatures for certain glyph combinations, the most common being
...
- 661
49
votes
6
answers
191k
views
What is the name of the symbols "<" and ">"?
I know that ^ is called a caret, but this doesn't seem to apply to the similarly shaped but nonetheless different < and > symbols. The only names I've heard them called is the less-than sign and ...
- 11.8k
44
votes
1
answer
7k
views
In old books, why is the first word of the next page printed at the bottom of this page?
In old books from the 16th to 18th centuries, the first word from the next page is often printed right justified on its own, at the end of the current page. It's not in every book of this period, but ...
- 67.5k
42
votes
3
answers
14k
views
Is there a name for text that reads the same upside-down? [duplicate]
This is similar to a palindrome but, instead of a word/sentence that reads the same forwards and backward, is there a word for words/sentences that read the same right side up and upside-down?
See ...
- 544
38
votes
2
answers
45k
views
Use of “f ” instead of “s” in historic, printed English documents
I was at a museum in London yesterday, and one of the items on exhibit is a document from the eighteenth century. It uses the letter f a lot where s should be used—for example, in Majefty.
Did the ...
- 507
36
votes
4
answers
261k
views
What do we call the “rd” in “3ʳᵈ” and the “th” in “9ᵗʰ”?
Our numbers have a specific two-letter combination that tells us how the number sounds.
For example
9th
3rd
301st
What do we call these special sounds?
- 471
34
votes
3
answers
17k
views
Ye olde english alphabet question: Any other letters lost besides thorn, edh, and yogh?
According to this link, we are missing (in Modern English) at least three letters that used to be in common use in English. These are thorn, edh, and yogh.
Are there others that were clearly in the ...
- 1,358
30
votes
3
answers
15k
views
Is there a name for letters that "cross the line" (hang low) when written in lowercase (g, j, p, q, y)?
Is there a fancy name for these letters that "hang low"?
- 1,043
30
votes
6
answers
3k
views
Usage of diacritics in loanwords
I was told here that not using diacritics (specifically the cedilla) is bad usage for those who know — I assume — their diacritics.
Is that correct?
Is garcon a correct spelling, in English, of the ...
user99677
29
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Word for how the white space between words can form patterns
Nota Bene: I included a term to describe this thing, but I'm not here to invent a word, it was included as a humorous nod; thank you for your patience and understanding!
I apologize if this is an odd ...
- 393
28
votes
5
answers
91k
views
Should there be a space between name initials?
In writing authors' initials in research papers (either in the author by-line or the bibliography), should there be a space between intials?
R.P. Feynman
R. P. Feynman
What's the preferred way of ...
- 1,088
28
votes
3
answers
194k
views
“20th century” vs. “20ᵗʰ century”
When writing twentieth century using an ordinal numeral, should the th part be in superscript?
20th century
20th century
- 307
26
votes
6
answers
27k
views
What Is the Real Name of the #?
I used to say "sharp sign" to refer to the # sign.
Today a friend told me that the correct term is number sign or hash sign or even just hash.
What is the difference between these options and what'...
- 429
25
votes
3
answers
31k
views
English line breaking rules
In Czech typography, some prepositions are not allowed to be at the end of the line, so line break is not allowed between that preposition and the following word.
Are there similar rules in English ...
- 1,327
25
votes
1
answer
6k
views
What are the historical reasons for the conventional sequence of footnote symbols?
According to @Mahnax's answer to this question, the Chicago Manual of Style Online states that the correct sequence of footnote symbols is as follows:
* (asterisk; but do not use if p values occur ...
user19148
24
votes
5
answers
52k
views
Moving the lower case ‘c’ up flush with the ‘M’ in the last name MᶜNeil?
Regarding names like McNeil or McDonald and such, twice recently I have been asked to move the lowercase c up so that the top of the lowercase letter aligns up with tops of the other two uppercase ...
- 241
24
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Is there any significance in little curls joining the st and ct in old books?
I've been reading a facsimile edition of Defoe's Captain Singleton and have noticed a little quirk of the text; where an st or a ct appear, they are joined with a little curl over the top, but nt, rt ...
- 36.9k
22
votes
8
answers
11k
views
How should foreign words (with foreign characters) be written in English text?
This question is not about italicisation or how to construct plurals. I wonder what are general guidelines for writing foreign words based on a Latin alphabet in English text. I know that, for ...
- 38.7k
21
votes
3
answers
7k
views
What do you call the phenomenon where a rectangle □ is shown because a font lacks a glyph?
Is there a name to describe the situation where a particular character is shown on a computer screen in a particular font, but this font does not have a glyph for this particular character?
Usually, ...
- 1,747
21
votes
5
answers
54k
views
When a dagger is used to indicate a note, must it come after an asterisk?
The typographical symbol dagger (†) has several meanings. Possibly its most common use is as a footnote marker.
According to You Have a Point There: A Guide to Punctuation and Its Allies (...
- 5,975
20
votes
4
answers
19k
views
What is the opposite of engraved text?
The name of the building is [opposite of engraved] above the entrance.
I'm looking for a word to describe characters that are raised above the surface - the opposite of engraved or sunken text
- 331
20
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Was the “Ye Olde Shoppe” ever used or is it just an ancient-looking construct of modern times?
Surely, if I were the owner of a shop selling archery goods and wanted to portray my shop as some kind of old-fashioned, high-quality traditional outlet, I might be tempted to call it “Ye Olde Archery ...
- 38.7k
20
votes
2
answers
83k
views
Why is 1 hand-written without a serif and 7 without a dash? [closed]
I've noticed that people coming from English-speaking countries tend to write "1" without the upstroke and "7" without a dash:
which differs from the way the numbers are usually written in ...
- 387
20
votes
3
answers
8k
views
What are the names of the pieces of a question mark?
A question mark ? seems to be composed of two distinct pieces, top and bottom. Do these pieces have their own names, and if so, what are they?
- 303
20
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Space before apostrophe
In the 1928 Scribner’s (NY) edition of The Plays of J. M. Barrie, I’ve noticed an odd convention: where a contraction happens in middle of a word (e.g., “don’t” for “do n(o)t”), the apostrophe has the ...
- 887
19
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Why does English use the French "sans" for sans serif?
Is it because France had impactful printers and typecutters like the Garamonds and Jensons in the Renaissance?
Or is it about being elegant and “Frenchified” when talking about something as peculiar ...
18
votes
3
answers
3k
views
Is the word “formulæ” valid English?
Is the word formulæ, written with an æ at the end, valid in English? I stumbled upon this apparently plural form of formula in the Wiktionary.
I had no idea the letter æ could occur in English. Does ...
- 291
17
votes
7
answers
25k
views
Is there an alternative, one-word name for the question mark?
Is there an alternative name for the question mark? For example, the exclamation point is often called a bang, the number symbol is an octothorpe and is often referred to as a pound sign, sharp ...
- 905
16
votes
3
answers
36k
views
What's the most appropriate name for non-italicized text: "roman" or "upright"?
Let's say I am reviewing galley proofs, and the author has written some text in italics which shouldn't be. Would I write: “please typeset this word in roman” or “please typeset this word upright”? If ...
- 38.7k
16
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Why is there a period after the roman numeral in a royal title?
In The Wealth of Nations, whenever a royal name appears, there is a period after the roman numeral. Why is this, and why has the practice been discontinued? If you search this online copy for a royal ...
user11550
15
votes
6
answers
3k
views
During what period of history did English use “ß”, the “sharp s” ligature?
The ß glyph is a lowercase letter that represents a ligature between a long s (ſ) and a round s, and is still used today in (some versions of) German. Its uppercase equivalent is two characters ...
- 135k
15
votes
4
answers
692
views
When did punctuation marks lose their associated spaces?
This is from a 1951 edition of Kipling’s Kim.
I’m fascinated by the punctuation conventions
used: quotation marks, exclamation and question marks, all with leading spaces; long punctuation dashes ...
- 151
14
votes
4
answers
13k
views
Why is "de facto" often written in italic?
Often when I see "de facto" written somewhere it is in italic. For example:
LaTeX website:
LaTeX is a high-quality typesetting system; it includes features
designed for the production of ...
- 864
14
votes
8
answers
4k
views
Why does English omit diacritics on foreign names?
Why does English omit diacritics from foreign names that still use the Latin alphabet? For example, why are the Czech tennis player Tomáš Berdych, the Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbø, or the Polish ...
- 249
14
votes
3
answers
5k
views
From French “manœuvre” to English “manoeuvre”, does “œ” exist in English?
Sadly, I don’t have much to add from the title to this question: does œ exist in English, such as in the word manœuvre?
The same question may also apply to what the French call the “e dans l’a” (e in ...
- 293
14
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What is it called when a letter is within another letter?
What is it called when a letter is within another letter? For example, the letter O within the letter L:
Edit: Or the first C in the Coca-Cola logo:
Does this arrangement of type have a name?
- 447
14
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Why is "dingbat" used to refer to characters like "☺"?
Why is dingbat used to refer to characters such as "☺"?
(See for instance those at the Mozilla Web Developer FAQ.)
Doesn't dingbat mean a stupid person or something?
- 7,017
13
votes
4
answers
5k
views
Principles in the use of letters 'b', 'u' and 'v' in Early Modern English typography
I have been reading a medical book by one late surgeon Thomas Gale. I was wondering the following mix-up of letters 'u','v' and 'b'.
This states: "to have the cure of".
Letter 'u' is used in the ...
- 261
12
votes
3
answers
2k
views
If a “tittle” sits atop an “i” or a “j” (“ı” or “ȷ”), then where do “jots” sit?
In the KJV translation of Matthew 5:18, it reads:
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
If a ...
- 135k
12
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Name for making the first few words in a chapter small caps?
What do you call the style of making the first few words of a chapter (or book, article, etc.) uppercase?
Here is an example from J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye:
To clarify, I'm not talking ...
- 261
12
votes
2
answers
31k
views
Should spaces be used between "<" or ">" and numbers or letters?
Should spaces be used between "<" or ">" and numbers or letters?
For symbols, what is right? P<10, P <10, P < 10 or P< 10?
For numbers, what is right? 4>2, 4> 2, 4 > 2 or 4 >2?
Is ...
- 129
11
votes
2
answers
12k
views
Should the comma be in italics? [closed]
Consider the following two sentences:
Statement 1:
The parameters were calculated a priori, and the other variables
were calculated iteratively.
Statement 2:
The parameters were calculated a ...
- 487
11
votes
3
answers
22k
views
How do you refer to letters of the alphabet?
If you're talking about a particular letter of the alphabet, how do you format it? Do you just write it? Do you put quotes around it? Do you italicize it? Do you just have to write it out?
Does the ...
- 1,253