Re: List cases for a cap height unit

On 10/26/11 1:36 PM, Tab Atkins Jr. wrote:
> For use case 1, "size of the text" means "a normal height for a
> capital letter, so it blends in typographically".

By "height" do you mean "ascent" or total height?  Compare a "G" and a 
"B" in Zapfino, for example, or either of those with some of the "Z" 
variants in that font.

> For use-cases 2 and
> 3, it means "the largest height such that, when the image is placed on
> the baseline, it doesn't change the line's height".

This has nothing to do with the height of capital letters.  Again, see 
Zapfino and compare any of the capital letters to "f" or "h".

> I *think* that cap height works for both of these definitions.  Am I wrong?

I think you're wrong.

> What, precisely, is a use-case for wanting to base something off of
> the ascent?  Describe something an author would want to do, without
> using the word "ascent".  ^_^

"not changing the line's height".

-Boris

Received on Wednesday, 26 October 2011 17:51:06 UTC