Typography Glossary

Illusions Perceptions created in the visual system and brain that differ from the "objective" environment as measured by physical instruments.

Image Bitmap pictures, often representing real scenes as viewed by a camera, as opposed to text or line graphics.

Image contrast The ratio of the maximum luminance (intensity) in an image to the minimum luminance.

Imposition In printing, the arranging of pages on a larger sheet in the correct order and orientation so that when the sheet is folded the pages will appear in order.

Indentation Insetting a line of text in from the margin, as at the beginning of a paragraph or within an outline, or to set off a quotation.

Inking The electronic filling of regions on a display.

Inline font specification A pen path that, in conjunction with a pen shape for marking along the path, specifies a letterform.

Intensity The luminance of light.

Intensity contrast See image contrast

Intentional specification In a document formatter, the functional specification of formatting information without providing details of spacing, margins, font, or the like, as opposed to extensional specification, in which detailed formatting changes are described.

Interchange protocol A communications convention or standard that describes how information is represented and transmitted from point to point or between (dissimilar) systems.

Interlaced display A technique used with CRT displays to reduce the data rate at which the display must be refreshed. Two fields, containing alternate lines, are refreshed alternately.

Interleaf A compound-document editor for workstations, created by Interleaf Corporation.

Interletter space The horizontal space between individual letterforms within a single word. Interletter space may be adjusted as a function of the letters (see kerning), but its proper value is an integral part of the typeface design.

International Typographic Style Typographers and designers based their designs on mathematical grids. ITS felt that the san serif type faces were the thing of the future.

Interpolating curves Parametric curves that are constrained to pass through the control points that specify them.

Interword space The horizontal space between words on a line. Interword space can be adjusted to achieve justification.

Inverse video Also, reverse video. Literally, the reversal of black for white and white for black in a bitmap screen image. Incongruously used by computer people to indicate light letters on a dark background, which is the inverse of the historically more common dark letters on a light background. Also, reversal of foreground and background colours.

ISO International Organization for Standardization, headquartered in Geneva. an agency for international cooperation on industrial and scientific standards.

Italic A type design that is both slanted and script like cursive. It was originally designed to replicate handwriting.

ITC International Typeface Corporation, a major vendor of typefaces.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF TYPE
TYPE CLASSIFICATION
THE FONT POOL
PAGE LAYOUT GUIDE
LOGO TYPE GUIDE
MIXING TYPE
TYPOGRAPHY SOFTWARE
TYPE CHOICE

Sources:

Rubinststein, Richard. [1988] Digial Typography: An Introduction to Type and Composition for Computer System Design. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
Blue Dot's typoGRAPHIC.
The comp.fonts FAQ.

There have been .
© Kevin Woodward 1997.

	Illusions	Perceptions created in the visual system and brain that differ from the "objective" environment as measured by physical instruments.
	Image	Bitmap pictures, often representing real scenes as viewed by a camera, as opposed to text or line graphics.
	Image contrast	The ratio of the maximum luminance (intensity) in an image to the minimum luminance.
	Imposition	In printing, the arranging of pages on a larger sheet in the correct order and orientation so that when the sheet is folded the pages will appear in order.
	Indentation	Insetting a line of text in from the margin, as at the beginning of a paragraph or within an outline, or to set off a quotation.
	Inking	The electronic filling of regions on a display.
	Inline font specification	A pen path that, in conjunction with a pen shape for marking along the path, specifies a letterform.
	Intensity	The luminance of light.
	Intensity contrast	See image contrast
	Intentional specification	In a document formatter, the functional specification of formatting information without providing details of spacing, margins, font, or the like, as opposed to extensional specification, in which detailed formatting changes are described.
	Interchange protocol	A communications convention or standard that describes how information is represented and transmitted from point to point or between (dissimilar) systems.
	Interlaced display	A technique used with CRT displays to reduce the data rate at which the display must be refreshed. Two fields, containing alternate lines, are refreshed alternately.
	Interleaf	A compound-document editor for workstations, created by Interleaf Corporation.
	Interletter space	The horizontal space between individual letterforms within a single word. Interletter space may be adjusted as a function of the letters (see kerning), but its proper value is an integral part of the typeface design.
	International Typographic Style	Typographers and designers based their designs on mathematical grids. ITS felt that the san serif type faces were the thing of the future.
	Interpolating curves	Parametric curves that are constrained to pass through the control points that specify them.
	Interword space	The horizontal space between words on a line. Interword space can be adjusted to achieve justification.
	Inverse video	Also, reverse video. Literally, the reversal of black for white and white for black in a bitmap screen image. Incongruously used by computer people to indicate light letters on a dark background, which is the inverse of the historically more common dark letters on a light background. Also, reversal of foreground and background colours.
	ISO	International Organization for Standardization, headquartered in Geneva. an agency for international cooperation on industrial and scientific standards.
	Italic	A type design that is both slanted and script like cursive. It was originally designed to replicate handwriting.
	ITC	International Typeface Corporation, a major vendor of typefaces.