User Guide

which allows precise point adjustment without requiring a
zoom-in.
Descent: A font’s maximum distance below the baseline.
Descender line: The lowest line that a character’s
descender extends to, like the line beneath the lowercase ‘j’
and ‘y.’
Dialog box: A window that displays when the computer
needs more information from the user.
Discontinuous: Not adjacent to each other (as in
discontinuous characters).
Downloadable font: A font that can be temporarily stored
in the printer’s memory.
Downloading: The process by which an outline font file is
sent to a PostScript printer.
Dots Per Inch (dpi): The measure of resolution for a
video monitor or printer. High-resolution printers contain
usually at least 1000 dpi. Laser printers typically have a
resolution of 300 dpi; monitors usually contain 72, 75, or 90
dpi.
Em: A unit of measure, which is the square of a face’s
point size. Traditionally, the width of a face’s widest letter,
the capital ‘M.’ For instance, if the “M” is 10 points wide,
an em is equal to 10 points.
Em space: A space equal to the width of a typeface’s
point size. Often used for paragraph indentions.
Traditionally, the em space was created by non-printing
blocks of metal used to add space between words.
Em square: A square the size of a capital letter “M.” Also
the height of the ascent added to the height of the descent.
Em units: Measuring units in Fontographer whose size is
relative. The em square can be visualized as being divided
up by horizontal and vertical grid lines that result in box-like
units of equal size. Em units are relative to the size of the
em square and are not measured in points.
Expanded: A typeface whose letters have been made
wider without visually adding weight.
Extended: A typeface whose letters are stretched (or
Fontographer User's Manual
Glossary Page #3