X-height: Difference between revisions

▲In [[typography]], the '''x-height''' or '''corpus size''' refers to the distance between the [[baseline (typography)|baseline]] and the [[mean line]] of lower-case letters in a [[typeface]]. Typically, this is the height of the letter ''x'' in the font (the source of the term), as well as the ''v'', ''w'', and ''z''. (Curved letters such as ''a'', ''c'', ''e'', ''m'', ''n'', ''o'', ''r'', ''s'', and ''u'' tend to exceed the x-height slightly, due to [[overshoot (typography)|overshoot]].) One of the most important dimensions of a font, x-height is used to define how high lower-case letters are compared to upper-case letters.

▲[[File:Regular and caption fonts.png|thumb|Regular and caption styles of two open-source typefaces, [[PT Sans]] and [[Garamond|EB Garamond]]. The caption styles both have increased x-heights to make the text clear even printed small. EB Garamond's is also very visibly bolder.]]

▲[[File:Original-CG.gif|thumb|French renaissance typefaces. The smaller typeface at the bottom has a proportionally higher x-height.]]

▲[[Display typeface]]s intended to be used at large sizes, such as on signs and posters, vary in x-height. Many have high x-heights to be read clearly from a distance. This, though, is not universally the case: some display typefaces such as [[Cochin (typeface)|Cochin]] intended for publicity uses have low x-heights, to give them a more elegant, delicate appearance.<ref>{{cite web|title=Chaparral® Pro release notes|url=http://www.adobe.com/type/browser/pdfs/readmes/ChaparralProReadme.pdf|website=Adobe|publisher=Adobe|accessdate=5 November 2014}}</ref> Many sans-serif designs that are intended for display text have high x-heights, such as [[Helvetica]] or, more extremely, [[Impact (typeface)|Impact]].

▲Medium x-heights are found on fonts intended for body text, allowing more balance and contrast between upper- and lower-case letters and a brighter page. They then increase again for [[Font#Optical size|optical sizes]] of font designed for small print, such as captions, so that they can be clearly read printed small.<ref>{{cite web|title=Optical Size|url=http://www.adobe.com/uk/type/topics/opticalsize.html|publisher=Adobe|accessdate=7 November 2014}}</ref><ref name=MicroPlus>{{cite web|last1=Frere-Jones|first1=Tobias|title=MicroPlus|url=https://frerejones.com/blog/introducing-microplus|publisher=Frere-Jones Type|accessdate=1 December 2015}}</ref>

▲[[File:General x-height sample image.png|thumb|An image of some common fonts on one line, comparing their usage and x-heights.]]

▲High x-heights were particularly common in designs in the 1960s and 70s, when [[International Typeface Corporation]] released variations of older designs with boosted x-heights; notable examples of this trend include [[Avant Garde Gothic]] and [[ITC Garamond]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Simonson|first1=Mark|title=Indiana Jones and the Fonts on the Maps|url=http://www.marksimonson.com/notebook/view/indiana-jones-and-the-fonts-on-the-maps|accessdate=6 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bierut|first1=Michael|title=I Hate ITC Garamond|url=http://designobserver.com/article.php?id=2577|website=Design Observer|accessdate=6 November 2014}}</ref> More recently, some typefaces such as [[Mrs Eaves]] and [[Brandon Grotesque]] have been issued with distinctively low x-heights to try to create a more elegant appearance. While computers allow fonts to be printed at any size, professional font designers such as Adobe issue fonts in a range of [[Font#Optical size|optical sizes]] optimized to be printed at different sizes.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Slimbach & Brady |title=Adobe Garamond |url=http://www.adobe.com/type/browser/pdfs/AdobeGaramondPro.pdf |publisher=Adobe |accessdate=6 November 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223200029/http://www.adobe.com/type/browser/pdfs/AdobeGaramondPro.pdf |archivedate=February 23, 2015 }}</ref> As an example of this, Mrs Eaves exists in two versions: an original style intended to give an elegant, bright appearance, and a less distinctive 'XL' design intended for body text.