Aspect of typography Called X-height

Answer 1

Type out this line in your graphics program, and make it real big:

The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Typesetter's Back.

Now draw four horizontal lines.

The top line sits on top of the capital letters.

The next line rests on top of the minuscule U's and the Z.

The next line goes under the minuscule H's and K's. (This is the baseline.)

The bottom line goes under the descenders on the P's and Y's.

The distance between the baseline and the line right above it is the x-height--note it sits right on top of the minuscule X. We call it the x-height because the minuscule X is the only letter in the whole face that won't extend below the baseline or above the x-height line. (You'll notice the round letters actually extend below the baseline and above the x-height line--if they don't, they look squashed.)

The distance between the baseline and the very top line is the ascender height. And the distance from the baseline to the bottom line is the descender height.