Page:Historic printing types, a lecture read before the Grolier club of New York, January 25, 1885, with additions and new illustrations; by De Vinne, Theodore Low, 1828-1914; Grolier Club.djvu/43

 FRENCH TYPE-FOUNDERS. 39 founders to be more exact in lining their letters, but it made every line seem as if it had been ruled. This appear- Not a wise ance of ruling dazzled the eyes and obscured the character. change. -^ Serif. Body-mark. >^ - Hair Line. Kerned letter. Thin letter. J m Full-bodied letter. Short letter. 7 Descending letter. W Fat letter. d Ascending letter. The flat serif weakened the strength and legibility of Roman types; its only merit was in the direction of lightness and delicacy. Upon poetry and leaded work this delicacy may have been a satisfactory change; for solid type and for sober books, in which legibility should be the first con- . . Made types sideration, the flat hair-line serif was a mischievous inven- weak and ob- tion. For the flat serifs soon thickened or broke off under wear, leaving the body marks "on their stumps." When types in this condition were badly printed, as they often were, on poor paper with weak ink, the print therefrom was almost unreadable. The bad printing of the xvinth century is largely due to this innovation.