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Body type: Type used for the main body of the page; usually measuring between 8 and 14 points.

Dingbats: a font consisting of symbols and line art images.

Display font: Type 16 points or larger in size. Also called headline type.

Ellipsis: also known an elliptical periods, indicate the omission of text or an interruption or hesitation. The classic ellipsis is four spaces separated by three periods. The space at the beginning or end provides spacing between the ellipsis character and preceding or following text, including punctuation.

Em: Originally, a space equal to the size of a 12-point capital letter M. Now, the square of the body of any size type (10 points wide for 10 point type). Also a measure of type height on the web.

En: Half the width of an em space.

Helvetica: the name of a font that is a registered trademark of Linotype-Hell AG; derived from the Latin name for Switzerland.

Kerning: To adjust the spacing between individual pairs of letters. See also: tracking

Leading (pronounced led’-ing): The space between rows of type. Also called line spacing. Originally, thin strips of lead were inserted between lines of type to add space and make the type easier to read – hence the term leading.

Monospaced font: a font whose characters are all the same width or pitch (the number of characters in an inch. Common pitch values are 10 and 12.) Contrasted to proportionally spaced fonts whose character widths vary depending on the shape of the character.

Pica: A measure of type size. One pica equals one-sixth of an inch.

Point: A unit of measure. Twelve points equals one pica. Pica was once the name given to 12-point type, and a 12-point capital letter M was exactly square.

Tracking: To adjust letter spacing for an entire range of text (such as a headline or paragraph). See also: kerning

A brief history of typography
Typography today is the result of Johann Gutenberg’s use of movable type in the mid-1400s. He was the first European to use individual letters, numbers and spaces to assemble into words, sentences and pages that could be disassembled and used again. Movable type, combined with Gutenberg’s invention of oil-based ink and modification of agricultural presses for printing, became the basis for printing for centuries.

The process of manufacturing movable type in metal was continually improved and eventually fostered a true art form – the creation of alphabets, numerals and characters in a single size, weight and style (called a font) with distinctive characteristics, artistically rendered and mathematically balanced. Movable type progressed from crafting fonts individually to cutting matrices and casting the fonts with hot metal to compositing machines with molten lead vats that created whole lines of type on-the-fly (hot type). Eventually typecasting yielded to computerization – first as phototypesetting and later as desktop publishing.

Typography basics
As with many things, today’s designer who understands the basics of typography will find it easier to make decisions about how best to arrange type on both the printed page and a web page. Let’s begin with the definition of a font. Although font and typeface are used interchangeably, the actual definition of a font is an alphabet (defined as upper and lower case letters, numerals, punctuation marks and symbols) in a single size, weight and style. A typeface is a family of fonts representing various sizes, weights and styles.
• Font size is the height of the alphabet and is measured in points (print) or ems (web).
• Font weight such as medium, bold, light or black, is the thickness of the alphabet relative to its hight.
• Font style is the slant of the letters. Upright letters are known as roman; slanted is called italics or oblique.

Finally, create a sense of urgency so the prospect will act now rather than waiting. Here is where a QR code, especially one leading to instant gratification such as a redeemable coupon, has great advantage. It is quick and easy, taking just a few minutes of the prospect’s time. If properly constructed, the prospect may find it easier to respond immediately and move on rather than setting the offer aside for action later.

When designing the post card, consider what the viewer will see first. This is usually the side of the post card with the address, so design this carefully. Your goal is to immediately attract attention and stimulate interest – the first two steps of AIDA (attention, interest, desire and action). Use a bold visual element – a photograph that bleeds off the top and sides of the post card, combined with a provocative headline – at the top of the post card. The address panel can be placed along the bottom part of the post card. It does not have to be positioned on the right half of the card.

Use the side with the address to create enough interest to cause the reader to turn the post card over, where he will find the QR code or PURL. You can include the desire and action steps on this side of the post card, or only hint at them, leaving the reader to find additional information via the web link where there is more room to be persuasive and more opportunity to use text, photos, videos and other tools.

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QR codes storing addresses and URLs may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards, or on just about any object about which users might need information. Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader application can scan the image of the QR Code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the phone’s browser. This act of linking from physical world objects is known as a hardlink or physical world hyperlinks. If you are interested in a QR code for your own use, contact Millennium Printing and we will help.