Fonts are the characters used to type words and phrases on a computer screen. Fonts throughout history were used in different ways such as by the printing press. They contain names such as Arial, Comic Sans, San Serif, Times New Roman, and Courier New. As technology continues to evolve and change, so do fonts.
A good example of this occurred in the 1980s when computers were evolving into the machines we use today. Adobe launched several products during this time and used their own fonts, all with names that began with ‘Type' such as Type 1 and Type 3. There are also types that change only slightly from the original such as Arial Black and Arial Narrow, which are only slight variations from the original Arial font. The
Scourge of Arial discusses how some fonts have lost popularity over time and
Fonts covers all fonts ever used up to present day.
The first fonts were introduced during the 12th century with the advent of the printing press. The fonts varied dramatically from printer to printer because individuals often made their own printing plates. At the time, fonts didn't have their own names. The Industrial Revolution changed things because plates could now be engraved and mass produced, making many machines and printing presses capable of using the same fonts or typeface. The early fonts were detailed by
A Brief History of Type and
The History of Fonts covers the complete history of typefaces and fonts.
This time period also brought forth the naming of fonts. In Britain, Brevier was the name given to 8-point fonts, while the French and Italians called the same font Petit Texte and Testino. Since the names changed so drastically from region to region, there was no real connection. It wasn't until years later that fonts were given a specific name. Printing
Fonts History Classification details how fonts were originally classified and a full listing of these early fonts are shown at
Font List.
Modern fonts and typefaces are influenced by the writings that came in previous years. Carol Twonmly's Charlemagne, for example, was released in 1989 and directly related to the Carolingian letter shapes used during Charlemagne's reign. Bell, a type of font found in some expansion packs are related to the letter shapes and typography used during the early 18th century. These fonts are discussed more at
Common Fonts and
Local Font List, which highlights popular fonts.
There's also the Helvectia font, which grew out of interest in the Art Deco movement. This font was short and square, which gave it an almost geometric appearance. There were also some fonts that grew out of the renewed interest in Egyptian history. The fonts created during this era have an even thickness on all letters to mimic the look of hieroglyphics. Some of these designs included Berthold City, Memphis, Silica, and Serifa. There are even fonts such as Cottonwood and Ironwood that drew inspiration from the American Old West.
Standard Font Names gives information on how fonts changed,
Find Fonts allows users to look up fonts they've seen elsewhere,
and
Typeface covers the full history of typography and how certain fonts started.
It's important to note that even modern day fonts were inspired by something else in another time. Courier New for example came about as way to recapture the look of old fashioned newsprint. Other fonts came about as the result of cultural influences such as the Cherokee language creating new typefaces. There are even some fonts that mimic the writing used in popular shows and movies. Modern day fonts are very easy to print using an
ink cartridge.
Our most popular ink and toner for printing include:
This was written by
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