1 American

1.5 German

2 Saxon

2.5 Norse

3 Brilliant

3.5 Ruby

4 Excelsior

4.5 Diamond

5 Pearl

5.5 Agate

6 Nonpareil

7 Minion

Some set sizes had more than one
name. Brevier was also known as Small
Text; Bourgeois: Gaillard; Long Primer:
Garamond; Small Pica: Philosophy;
English: Augustin.

8 Brevier

9 Bourgeois

10 Long Primer

11 Small Pica

12 Pica

14 English

16 Columbian

40 Double Paragon

18 Great Primer

44 Canon

20 Paragon

22 Double Small Pica

24 Double Pica

48 Four-Line Pica

60 Five-Line Pica

28 Double English

32 Double Columbian

36 Double Great Primer

72 Six-Line Pica

Before the invention of the point and pica measuring system,
specific type sizes were identified by names. One such system

height-to-paper

point size

set width

point size

In order to achieve a uniform impression
of Ink onto paper, metal characters
were cast with the same height. This
was known as the helght-to-paper, or
typehlgh and was equivalent to .918 Inch.

The width of a metal character Is known
as the set width and Is determined by
the specific character represented. The
capital letters M and W have the widest
set width, and the letters I and I have the
narrowest.

was the American System of Interchangeable Type Bodies.

These names and sizes were eventually translated into

specific point values.

The size of a character was originally determined by the size

of the three-dimensional block on which the face of type was

cast, rather than the character itself.