Computer Modern Typefaces

This volume contains precise definitions of about 500 letters, numerals, and other symbols, all described with METAFONT, Donald E. Knuth's revolutionary language for the design of typefaces.

Readers will learn how to make their own personal variations of the fonts, simply by changing a few parameters. Special symbols that are needed for unusual applications can also be created by using the many examples in this book as a model. More ambitious readers will be able to extend this work to other character sets, such as phonetic or Cyrillic alphabets. A close study of the details captured in these METAFONT programs will reveal many previously unpublished tricks that type designers have learned during the past centuries.

Computer Modern is a family of typefaces that includes 75 standard fonts, ranging from the sans-serif faces used to typeset the copy on this book jacket to the more formal alphabets and mathematical symbols used to typeset the text of the book itself. The 75 standard fonts can easily be extended to an essentially infinite number of further variations, because Computer Modern is a "meta-design" rather than a single design. In particular, this means that different point sizes of type can be drawn to different specifications, thereby obtaining better readability. Compatible typefaces can be generated for all sorts of printing equipment, ranging from low-resolution CRT displays to medium-resolution laser printers to high-resolution phototypesetters.

Charles Bigelow's introduction explains the history of the "modern" style of the type design, which originated 200 years ago and is being brought up to date by the developments in this book.

The type designs are accompanied by almost 750 illustrations, which are interesting in their own right as examples of mechanically constructed letterforms. Specimens of the 75 standard fonts appear near the close of this book, followed by several comprehensive indexes.

Computer Modern Typefaces is the fifth in a five-volume series on Computers and Typesetting, all authored by Knuth. This series presents the results of nearly a decade of innovative research on the problems of preparing publications of high typographic quality.

• Introduction to the Parameters
• Organization of the Files
• Parameter Files
• Driver FIles
• roamn: Roman text and typewriter text
• title: Caps and digits only
• texset: Extended ASCII character set
• csc: Caps and small caps
• textit: Italic text and typewriter text
• mathit: Math italic
• mathsy: Math symbols
• mathex: Math extension characters
• Program Files
• accent: Accents common to roman and italic
• bigacc: Wide accents for math extension font
• bigdel: Delimeters for math extension font
• calu: Calligraphic capitals
• comlig: Ligatures common to roman and italic
• cscspu: Special uppercase for caps and small caps
• greekl: Lowercase Greek
• greeku: Uppercase Greek
• itald: Italic digits
• italig: Italic f-ligaturs
• itall: Italic lowerspace
• italms: Italic math specials
• italp: Italic punctuation
• italsp: Special lowercase for italic
• olddig: Oldstyle digits
• punct: Punctuation common to roman and italic
• romand: Roman digits
• romanl: Roman lowercase
• romanp: Roman punctuation
• romanu: Roman uppercase
• romlig: Roman f-ligatures
• romms: Roman math specials
• romspl: Special lowercase for roman
• romspu: Special uppercase for roman
• romsub: Substitutes for ligatures
• sym: Math symbols common to several fonts
• symbol: Math symbols in symbol font only
• tset: Extended ASCII symbols
• tsetsl: Extended ASCII symbols to be slanted
• The Base File
• Font Specimens

A book about fonts and typesetting. Brilliant.