Working with Typography Flashcards

What is the purpose of 'paragraph styles' in Adobe InDesign?

Answer: To store and apply a complete set of paragraph formatting with one click

Paragraph styles save all formatting attributes so they can be applied consistently and updated globally.

Which term describes the invisible line on which the base of most capital letters sits?

Answer: Baseline

The baseline is the standard line on which characters rest, and from which leading and other measurements are calculated.

What is 'optical margin alignment' used for in Adobe InDesign?

Answer: Extending punctuation and letter edges slightly outside the text frame for a cleaner visual margin

Optical margin alignment pushes punctuation and letter edges outside the frame so text columns appear more visually even.

In typography, what does 'point size' measure?

Answer: The height from the top of ascenders to the bottom of descenders plus spacing

Point size historically measured the full height of the metal type block, encompassing ascenders, descenders, and built-in spacing.

Which Adobe Illustrator feature lets you flow text along the edge of a custom shape or path?

Answer: Type on a Path

Type on a Path places text that follows the contour of any open or closed vector path.

What happens to overset text in Adobe InDesign when a text frame is too small to display all content?

Answer: The text is hidden and indicated by a red plus sign on the frame

Overset text is stored but hidden, indicated by a red '+' icon on the out port of the text frame.

In the ACA exam context, which font format supports advanced typographic features like ligatures, swashes, and multiple language character sets in a single file?

Answer: OpenType (.otf)

OpenType fonts support advanced typographic features, large character sets, and work cross-platform in a single file.