Typesense : Making Sense of Type on the Computer

TypeSense demystifies typography and typesetting on the computer. It approaches typography and typesetting from a unique perspective - working from the broadest possible parameters of page typography of headlines, subheads, and captions, to the detail-strewn sentence typography of en dashes, small caps, and proofreaders' marks. This unique macro-to-micro approach is introduced by a brief exploration of typesetting history (from Gutenberg to PostScript) and an understanding of letter terminology (from serifs to spines). It concludes with an example-filled chapter of typography as illustration.
Graphic designers, commercial artists, desktop publishers, publicists, or individuals working in the marketing, advertising, and design industries will benefit from finally having a single source to turn to, with easy-to-understand explanations, interesting historical detail, and practical typographic examples. TypeSense is organized so readers can find relevant information quickly. It answers the need for specifics - that consumer type specimen books and general how-to books often fail to satisfy. It answers commonly-asked questions, such as: Which typefaces go well together? What makes a type document reader-friendly? What type weight is appropriate for text? And more complex questions such as: When is it appropriate to kern? When are hyphens, en dashes, figure dashes, or em dashes used? How should numbers be set in text?

Susan G. Wheeler is a Professor & Director of the Commercial Art Program at the University of Cincinnati in Blue Ash, Ohio.