Stem

Type
2D

This entry has not been translated yet and is shown in English.

The principal stroke of a letter — the upright of b, l and H, the main diagonals of A and V. Stem width is the unit a face is built from: weight is stem width relative to the em, contrast is the ratio of stem to hairline, and colour on the page is stem width against the counters between.

A capital B and lowercase o. Leaders point to the B's full-weight upright, to the thin stroke arching across the top of its upper bowl, and to the thickest part of the o's ring — showing that stem and hairline are the two ends of one stroke's modulation.

Not to be confused with

HairlineThe thinnest stroke in a letter, and the denominator of stroke contrast. Didones drive the ratio past 10:1; humanist faces keep it near 2:1. Hairlines are the part of a face that a rendering pipeline destroys first — they drop out on newsprint, thicken in dark mode, and shimmer on standard-density screens.

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