Množina: fonts

A set of characters of the same typeface (such as Garamond), style (such as italic), and weight (such as bold). A font consists of all the characters available in a particular style and weight for a particular design; a typeface consists of the design itself. Fonts are used by computers for on-screen displays and by printers for hard-copy output. In both cases, the fonts are stored either as bit maps (patterns of dots) or as outlines (defined by a set of mathematical formulas). Even if the system cannot simulate different typefaces on the screen, application programs may be able to send information about typeface and style to a printer, which can then reproduce the font if a font description is available. See also bit map, font generator.
Or fount; Complete set of printed or display characters of the same typeface, size, and style (bold, italic, underlined, and so on). In the UK, font sizes are measured in points, a point being approximately 0.3 mm.
Fonts used in computer setting are of two main types: bit-mapped and outline. Bit-mapped fonts are stored in the computer memory as the exact arrangement of pixels or printed dots required to produce the characters in a particular size on a screen or printer. Outline fonts are stored in the computer memory as a set of instructions for drawing the circles, straight lines, and curves that make up the outline of each character. They require a powerful computer because each character is separately generated from a set of instructions and this requires considerable computation. Bit-mapped fonts become very ragged in appearance if they are enlarged and so a separate set of bit maps is required for each font size. In contrast, outline fonts can be scaled to any size and still maintain exactly the same appearance.
A specific size and style of type within a type family; SYN. fount, typeface, face.

Množina: font cartridges

A plug-in unit available for some printers that contains fonts in several different styles and sizes. Font cartridges, like downloadable fonts, enable a printer to produce characters in sizes and styles other than those created by the fonts built into it. Also called: font card. See also ROM cartridge.
(Computer science) Any font that is contained in a cartridge that can be plugged into a computer printer; SYN. cartridge font.

Množina: font colors

Množina: font families

The set of available fonts representing variations of a single typeface. For example, Times Roman and Times Roman Italic are members of the same font family. When the user indicates italic, the system selects the correct italic font for the font family, with its characteristic appearance. If there is no italic font in the family, the system simply slants, or “obliques,” the corresponding roman character. See also italic, roman.

Množina: font sizes

The point size of a set of characters in a particular typeface. See also point1 (definition 1).