Culture · 6 pages · 12 min
How serifs work at small sizes
At text sizes, serifs finish strokes and keep letters distinct only if the cut can hold them.
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From the opening
Serifs are the short finishing strokes on the ends of stems, and at small sizes they help by showing where those stems stop so a crowd of verticals does not become a row of sticks. They are part of a text face's system for staying distinct across many words, not a prize awarded to the letter afterward. The opening covers endings that keep stems distinct, text cuts versus hairline display, and ink spread and pixel hinting.
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Inside
- Endings that keep stems distinct
- Text cuts versus hairline display
- Ink spread and pixel hinting
- Sans serif is another solution
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Optical sizes in metal and digital type
- Serifs and brackets as stroke endings in text faces