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lukeprog
Power User
Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 55
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 Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:31 pm Post subject: free fonts for print body text, with text figures? |
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I'm looking to find the best free fonts for use in print body text. That means:
1. Serif
2. Old Style
3. Includes text figures (non-lining numerals, lowercase figures, oldstyle figures, whatever)
There are plenty that match #1 and #2, but not also #3. For example, let look at some of the "best" free Old Style fonts. None of these have text figures:
Gentium
Liberation
DejaVu Serif
Old Standard
Linux Libertine
Cardo
Lido STF
Apple Garamond
Kleins Forgotten Roman
Bitstream Vera Serif
Baramond
Chanticleer Roman has non-lining figures, but not regular figures, and is missing TONS of characters. Same story for Porson and Day Roman and Prociono and Legendum.
Garogier has all three qualities I'm looking for, but is ugly as heck. It looks like chicken scratches. Incomplete and rough-edged.
jGaramond has lining figures and text figures. Compare jGaramond to Adobe Garamond Pro:
I know you get what you pay for, but I'm just trying to gather the best free fonts for anyone who wants to print a book with free fonts.
Update: Just found Garava and Pali, which have a superb character set, including text figures.
Last edited by lukeprog on Sat Jan 26, 2008 7:25 pm; edited 6 times in total |
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Corfy
Moderator
Joined: 14 Jun 2005
Posts: 1117
Location: Near Indianapolis, IN, USA
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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Um, what exactly is a "text numeral"?
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lukeprog
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Joined: 18 Apr 2004
Posts: 55
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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Text figures, text numerals, non-lining figures, lowercase figures, ranging figures, hanging figures, whatever.
It just means some of the numbers fall below the baseline, so numbers don't draw too much attention to themselves in body text. |
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TRUETYPIST
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Joined: 25 Oct 2006
Posts: 47
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 3:25 pm Post subject: |
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I can't really help you on this. I don't know any freeware fonts with your requirements.
lukeprog wrote:
| Quote: | | It just means some of the numbers fall below the baseline, so numbers don't draw too much attention to themselves in body text. |
They really look better on text, since their are designed just for this purpose. 
Usually they are also "proportionally spaced" (i.e. each character has a different width)
"Normal" (lining) numerals are allways "equally spaced" (the width of character "1" is the same as the width of character "8". This may not look so good, but has one huge advantage: it makes it easier to read numbers on tables, because they become vertically "aligned"
758.45
111.11
879.02
This is the main reason for the predominance of "lining" numbers on "normal" fonts.
aestethics is sacrificed for utility !
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