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Research draft

font

vr.tr.font · ACT.ACT

Let an agent explain fonts in traditional and digital senses, relay formats, technology and licensing from typography sources, describe raster, vector and web fonts, and distinguish a font from a typeface, a glyph, a font family and a baptismal font.

Thing Registry Activities and processes

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain fonts in traditional and digital senses, relay formats, technology and licensing from typography sources, describe raster, vector and web fonts, and distinguish a font from a typeface, a glyph, a font family and a baptismal font.

In typography, a particular size, weight and style of a typeface, and in digital typography a computer file that stores the glyph shapes of a typeface as raster bitmaps or vector outlines, in formats such as TrueType, OpenType and Web Open Font Format version 2; the registry aliases also name specific fonts such as National Park and the German school handwriting model Schulausgangsschrift.

What it is for: Rendering text in a typeface.

It can be explain the senses; relay formats and technology; describe kinds; distinguish related concepts.

Distinguishing features

Style instance of typeface

Digital file

Raster or vector

Licensed

What it looks like

Not a visible object as such; a file or a set of type.

Physical character

WOFF2: 2018 W3C recommendation note

OpenType: 1996 onward note - Microsoft and Adobe

Schulausgangsschrift: 1968 year - East German school script

How it is recognised

Style of a typeface or its digital file

Computer font, raster font, vector font, WOFF2, National Park, Schulausgangsschrift

A typeface is the design; a glyph is one shape; a family groups styles; a baptismal font is a basin

Related models

is a kind of - in registry terms, as an instance

typeface

is a kind of - in registry terms

work

is encoded in - and other formats

OpenType

is distinct from - a church basin

baptismal font

In practice

Families and kinds

metal type fonts

raster or bitmap fonts

vector outline fonts in TrueType and OpenType

web fonts in WOFF and WOFF2

variable fonts

specific fonts such as National Park and school scripts such as Schulausgangsschrift

Standards and regulation

OpenType and WOFF2 specifications

Font licensing and copyright law

Unicode character encoding

Failure modes and hazards

Confusing font with typeface

Licensing violations

Registry aliases naming specific fonts and a handwriting model

Also called

SchulausgangsschriftNational Parkcomputer fontraster fontvector fontWeb Open Font Format, version 2variable fontUnicode typefacefallback fontPostScript core fontsseven-segment display character representationsWeb Open Font FormatCoinBilbao SansVEGESIGNESRoman cursiveold Roman cursivelater Roman cursiveRavenna Chancery Scriptemoji setcursivebitmap fontAMS Symbolsoptical fontbit-mapped fontbasic fontNaqsh fontsFontrunning-cursive scriptModern scriptCortesana santadaronde scriptEnglish scripthumanistic cursiveconnected styleAnglicanaLuxeuil MinusculeChinese cursive scriptPalmer MethodTerminus

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Source repository Registry entry point

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Understand What a font is.

Definition.

Definition

Definition.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What is a font, and how does it differ from a typeface, glyph, family and baptismal font? definition
  2. Is the question about typography, file formats, a specific font or licensing? boundary

Kinds

Kinds.

Kinds

Kinds.

  1. What are raster, vector, web and variable fonts, and what are National Park and Schulausgangsschrift? definition
  2. Which entry fits the specific kind or font? action
Technology Technology.

Sources.

Formats

Formats.

Formats

Formats.

  1. How do TrueType, OpenType, WOFF and WOFF2 store and compress glyphs? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Rendering

Rendering.

Rendering

Rendering.

  1. How are fonts rasterised, hinted and shaped for display? provenance
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance
Practice Practice.

Regulation.

Licensing

Licensing.

Licensing

Licensing.

  1. How are fonts licensed, and what do open font licences allow? provenance
  2. Which entry fits font licence? action

Web

Web use.

Web

Web.

  1. How are web fonts served and optimised? provenance
  2. Which entry fits web typography? action
Context History.

Context.

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How did fonts evolve from metal type to digital files? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the history of typography? action

Scripts

School scripts.

Scripts

Scripts.

  1. What are school handwriting models such as Schulausgangsschrift? provenance
  2. Which entry fits handwriting model? action

What the second pass must settle

  • Should computer font and web font be separate primary entries?
  • How should typography sources be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases naming specific fonts and a school script; should they be split off?
Draft as JSON