Re: [css-fonts] font-size property and font-weight-property

On 2018-01-16 12:02, fantasai wrote:
> We can't do that, because there is no font technology that creates an
> absolute scale of boldness across all fonts.
>
> If you stick to a single font family--and choose one with sufficient
> weight variants--then you can get the predictable behavior you want.
> For example, Avenir has six weights. And in the future, variable font
> technology will allow interpolation of weight across the scale, so you
> can get many more options with such a font. 

There's also the possibility, with variable fonts, of defining a weight 
axis (in addition to the CSS scale 'wght' axis that is already part of 
the OpenType Design-Variation Axis Tag Registry*) that uses something 
like per-mille-of-em as a scale, related to a typical key stem weight. 
This would enable not an absolute scale of boldness — since boldness is 
a perceptual phenomenon affected not just individual stem weights but 
overall texture of text, which differs not only across typeface designs 
but across writing systems — but closer matching than the enitrely 
arbitrary assignment of font weights to CSS weight class numbers.

JH


*https://www.microsoft.com/typography/otspec/dvaraxisreg.htm

Received on Tuesday, 16 January 2018 21:02:31 UTC