Design Nomenclature / Type

Font

Also called fount

The thing that renders a typeface — historically one size and one style of metal sorts in a case, now a file: Garamond Italic 10pt was a font, GaramondPremrPro-It.otf is a font. Digital fonts are software, which is why they are licensed rather than sold, and why a webfont's licence counts pageviews.

A two-column comparison headed "One instance, or the design it instantiates". The left column is titled Font and reads: one casting — one size, one style; Garamond Italic 10pt, and today one file. The right is titled Typeface and reads: the design behind every such casting — Garamond, entire.

Not to be confused with

Origin

From French fonte, a casting — a font was literally what came out of the caster in one pour, hence one size, one style.

How this term connects

HintingItalicObliqueOpenTypeSubsettingTypefaceVariable fontFont
Related Confused with