What is the difference between font vs. typeface

Examples of type families are:. The strange thing about widths is that they are often presented as distinct typefaces rather than fonts that are part of one typeface. This is because different widths are often later releases to the original cut. For the same reason sometimes optical sizes are introduced as separate typefaces as well. Interestingly enough, historically, the distinction between typefaces and fonts was blurry in the first years of letterpress printing.

Rather than a different style, italics were initially distinct typefaces used to set entire books in. These italics had upright roman capitals, as seen below in an italic type by Ludovico Arrighi, c. When talking about typography, the terms Font and Typeface tend to get mixed up and used almost as if they are synonymous. This confusion shows how quick industry terminology changes with the introduction of new processes and technologies.

But, at the end of the day, one has to wonder if the distinction really matters today. The main difference between these two terms is that a typeface or type family is the name of a specific collection of related fonts.

In comparison, font refers to a particular weight, width, and style within that typeface. To put it in simple terms, each variation of a typeface is a font. Close search. Two examples of font comparisons from the A. Specimen Catalog in Regular vs. California Job Cases. Claire is setting metal type for letterpress printing from a California Job Case. Thanks for Reading! Designers, check out these contests so you can start building your career.

Get a design. Illustration by OrangeCrush Typeface vs. It can get a bit granular. What is a typeface? Typefaces are categorized based on their style. Some of the most common types of typefaces are: Serif typefaces Serif typefaces are, as the name implies, typefaces that include serifs. Via Post Press Garamond is a common serif typeface for example.

Via Wikimedia Commons Bodoni and Didot are two others. Blackletter typeface, based on the calligraphy used to hand-copy books in the Middle Ages. Via Toptal. Via Free Fonts Vault. Via Site Point. Via My Fonts. Via Font Mirror.

Via FFonts. Via Identifont. Via Fonts. Via Fonts Market.