Font; fount.
（
Printing.) An assortment of type of one size, of a given weight, containing large and small capitals, small letters, points, accents, figures, spaces, quads, etc. The weights of fonts vary according to the business requirements of the printer.
While a 500-pound book-font was considered a good weight during the last century, some American houses
[
901]
now keep a font of from 20,000 to 30,000 pounds in use.
The following table gives an English bill of Pica, weight 800 pounds, italic one tenth.
| a, | 8,500 | í, | 100 | ! | 150 | P, | 400 | I, | 400 |
| b, | 1,600 | ó, | 100 | ' | 700 | Q, | 180 | J, | 150 |
| c, | 3,000 | ú, | 100 | * | 100 | R, | 400 | K, | 150 |
| d, | 4,400 | à, | 200 | † | 100 | S, | 500 | L, | 250 |
| e, | 12,000 | è, | 100 | ‡ | 100 | T, | 650 | M, | 200 |
| f, | 2,500 | ì, | 100 | [ | 150 | U, | 300 | N, | 200 |
| g, | 1,700 | ò, | 100 | || | 100 | V, | 300 | O, | 200 |
| h, | 6,400 | ù, | 100 | § | 100 | W, | 400 | P, | 200 |
| i, | 8,000 | â, | 200 | （ | 300 | X, | 180 | Q, | 90 |
| j, | 400 | ê, | 200 | ¶ | 60 | Y, | 300 | R, | 200 |
| k, | 800 | î, | 100 | 1, | 1,300 | Z, | 80 | S, | 250 |
| l, | 4,000 | ô, | 100 | 2, | 1,200 | Ae, | 40 | T, | 320 |
| m, | 3,000 | û, | 100 | 3, | 1,100 | Oe, | 30 | U, | 150 |
| n, | 8,000 | ä, | 100 | 4, | 1,000 | A, | 300 | V, | 150 |
| o, | 8,000 | ë, | 100 | 5, | 1,000 | B, | 200 | W, | 200 |
| p, | 1,700 | ï, | 100 | 6, | 1,000 | C, | 250 | X, | 90 |
| q, | 300 | ö, | 100 | 7, | 1,000 | D, | 250 | Y, | 150 |
| r, | 6,200 | ü, | 100 | 8, | 1,000 | E, | 300 | Z, | 40 |
| s, | 8,000 | ā, | 100 | 9, | 1,000 | F, | 200 | Ae, | 20 |
| t, | 9,000 | ē, | 150 | 0, | 1,300 | G, | 200 | Oe, | 15 |
| u, | 3,400 | ī, | 100 | $ | 100 | H, | 200 |
| v, | 1,200 | ō, | 100 | A, | 600 |
| w, | 2,000 | ū, | 100 | B, | 400 | Spaces. |
| x, | 400 | ă, | 100 | C, | 500 | Thick | 18,000 |
| y, | 2,000 | ĕ, | 150 | D, | 500 | Middle | 12,000 |
| z, | 200 | ĭ, | 100 | E, | 600 | Thin | 8,000 |
| &, | 200 | ŏ, | 100 | F, | 400 | Hair | 3,000 |
| fi, | 500 | ŭ, | 100 | G, | 400 | Em-quadrats | 2,500 |
| ff, | 400 | ç, | 100 | H, | 400 | En-quadrats | 5,000 |
| fl, | 200 | ñ | 100 | I, | 800 | Large Quadrats. |
| ffl, | 100 | , | 4,500 | J, | 300 | 2-em | 80 pounds. |
| ffi, | 150 | ; | 800 | K, | 300 | 3-em | 80 pounds. |
| ae, | 100 | : | 600 | L, | 500 | 4-em | 80 pounds. |
| oe, | 60 | . | 2,000 | M, | 400 | |
| á, | 100 | - | 1,000 | N, | 400 | Metal Rules. |
| é, | 250 | ? | 200 | O, | 400 | 1-em, 2-em, 3-em. |
For indexes and similar matter, the above would be deficient in capitals.
For setting up French or Italian matter, it would be deficient in accented vowels.
It comprises, —
Capitals; as, A, B, etc.
Small capitals; as, A, B, etc.
Lower case; as a, b, etc.
Figures and fractions; as, 1, 2, 3; 1/4, 1/8, 1/20, etc.
Points, — , ; : .?!--' ( ) [ ] * † ‡ § || ¶ — {
Spaces. Quads.
Accents; as, á, à, â, ä, ā, ă.
The above bill does not include, —
Superior letters in caps or lower case; as, Aa, Bd, etc.; Aa, Ba, Cd, etc.; aA, bC, etc.; ca, db, hd, etc.
Inferior letters in caps or lower case; as, Ac, Cb, etc.; Aa, Ba, Bb, etc.; aB, Ce, etc.; aa, ba, Cb, etc.
Superior figures in Arabic or Roman; as B1, C2, D3, etc.; aI, bII, CVI, etc.
Inferior figures in Arabic or Roman; as, A1, B2, C3, etc.; aI, bIV, CV, etc.
Prime letters; A′, B′, C‴; a′, b′, c‴, etc.
Arithmetical signs; such as +, ×,--, ÷, :, ::, = , √.
Notation of are: ° (degrees), ′ (minutes), ″ (seconds).
Of quantity: pound ℔, ounce ℥, dram [dram ], scruple ℈, minim ♏.
Commercial: $, ¢, [paid ], %, @, a/c, £.
Besides these, there are hundreds of arbitrary signs, which are found in the most perfect fonts, and used in astronomical, classic, commercial, musical, chemical, botanical, arithmetical, and mathematical dissertations.
For these, see an excellent digest on pp. 1692 – 96 of
Webster's
Unabridged Dictionary, edition of 1867.
Almost every science has symbols of its own. Algebra has one set, chemistry another.
For a dictionary which attempts to represent the minute shades of pronunciation a great number are required.
Thus in
Webster or
Worcester, what with letters with dots above and dots below, lines above, below, and across, there are probably a hundred additional characters.
Some foreign languages have a very complicated alphabet.
The
Greek, with its “accents” and “breathings,” requires about 200.
Formerly there were so many logotypes and abbreviations as to require 750 sorts.
The
Oriental alphabets are complex.
The
Hebrew, with the
Masoretic points, requires about 300 sorts, many differing only by a point, stroke, or angle.
The Arabic has quite as many.
In
Robinson's Hebrew Lexicon, eight or ten
Oriental languages appear, and required 3,000 sorts distributed through at least forty cases.
