Typeface

As anyone with a computer knows, there are literally thousands of fonts. Every time you install new word-processing or graphics software, it seems like a couple dozen new fonts are installed. Well, here’s a tidbit that even most publishing professionals or graphic artists today don’t know: those are not fonts.

Think of the design of letters and numerals. Some designs are very conservative, while some designs are very ornate. Some designs include small ticks at the corners of the letters, called serifs, while others do not have these ticks and are called sans serif. The design of the letters and numerals is called the typeface and is named. So, Times New Roman and Helvetica are typefaces, not fonts.

So, then, what is a font? A font is one set of specifications of a typeface. For example, Helvetica 9 point italic is a font, a font of the Helvetica typeface. Helvetica 9 point roman is also a font of the Helvetica typeface. Each typeface—the design—may have hundreds of fonts. When you select the “font” in your word-processing or graphics software, you are actually selecting the typeface. The settings of bold, italic, etc., and the point size determine the font. Your software has it wrong!

Tin Whiskers Publisher is a member of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA). IBPA’s mission is “to lead and serve the independent publishing community by providing advocacy, education, and tools for success.” IBPA is a not-for-profit membership organization serving and leading the independent publishing community. Founded in 1983, it is the largest publishing trade organization in the United States. IBPA members pledge to uphold the organization’s code of ethics.