Typography

Typography is the art and techniques of type design, modifying type glyphs, and arranging type. Type glyphs (characters) are created and modified using a variety of illustration techniques. The arrangement of type is the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading (line spacing) and letter spacing.

Typography is performed by typesetters, compositors, typographers, graphic artists, art directors, and clerical workers. Until the Digital Age, typography was a specialized occupation. Digitization opened up typography to new generations of visual designers and lay users.

History

    For the origins and evolution of typography, see the main articles History of western typography, History of typography in East Asia, and Moveable type


Typography traces its origins to the first punches and dies used to make seals and currency in ancient times. Typography with moveable type began in 11th-century China, and modular moveable metal type began in 13th-century Korea and was developed again in mid-15th century Europe with the development of specialized techniques for casting and combining cheap copies of letterpunches in the vast quantities required to print multiple copies of texts.