The Anatomy of Type
A brief history of Typography
by Pamela Sarne
The structure of the letters in the Roman, Greek, and Cyrillic alphabets are based on ancient stone-carving techniques. This is the main factor that differentiates these alphabets from Asian and Middle-Eastern writing systems, which are based on brush strokes.
Letters carved in stone could not have strokes that started and ended abruptly, so craftsmen allowed the strokes to taper at the ends. These were the first serif (embellished) letterforms, and serifs are still a common element in type design. Sans serif, or unembellished, type styles didn't come along until the mid-1800's and were considered to be quite unusual at the time.
Because the earliest typefaces were carved or punched into solid blocks of wood or metal, all type measurement systems historically relate to these three-dimensional objects, although with today's technology typesetting is, for intents and purposes, a two-dimensional process.
Type is measured in points, with each point being equal to approximately 1/72nd of an inch. The reason 72-point type is much less than an inch in height is because the point measurement refers not to the printed letter itself, but to the measurement of the block of wood or metal on which it was originally carved!
