Mean line

Mean line
Typography Line Terms.svg

In typography, the mean line, also (and more simply) known as midline, is the line that determines where non-ascending lowercase letters terminate in a typeface. The distance between the baseline and the mean line is called the x-height.

Round glyphs will break (overshoot) the mean line slightly in many typefaces, since this is aesthetically more pleasing; a rounded shape will appear visually smaller than flat topped (or bottomed) shapes of equal height, due to an optical illusion.

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Page Lowercase 'a' in Adobe Caslon
Paragraph
Character
Typeface anatomy
Capitalization
Letter case · Small caps · CamelCase · Petite caps · All caps
Vertical aspects
Ascender · Descender · Baseline · Cap height · Median · Overshoot · x-height
Classifications
Punctuation
Typesetting
Typographic units
Point · Pica · Cicero · Em · En · Figure space · Thin space · Paren space · Agate · Measure
Digital typography
Font formats · Typesetting software · Character encoding · Rasterization · Hinting

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  • Mean line — Mean Mean, a. [OE. mene, OF. meiien, F. moyen, fr. L. medianus that is in the middle, fr. medius; akin to E. mid. See {Mid}.] 1. Occupying a middle position; middle; being about midway between extremes. [1913 Webster] Being of middle age and a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mean line — Верхняя линия строчных знаков (Mean line)     Воображаемая линия, проходящая по верху прямых строчных [буква по размеру меньше заглавной, иногда отличаются по рисунку] знаков без верхних выносных элементов [элемент буквы выступающий выше верхней… …   Шрифтовая терминология

  • mean line — pusiaukampinė statusas T sritis fizika atitikmenys: angl. bisecting line; bisector; mean line vok. Halbierungslinie, f; Winkelhalbierende, f rus. биссектриса, f pranc. bissectrice, f …   Fizikos terminų žodynas

  • mean line — A line joining the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil equidistant from the upper and lower surfaces. Also known as a camber line or a mean camber line …   Aviation dictionary

  • mean line — noun Etymology: mean (VII) : bisectrix * * * Print. an imaginary x high line. Also called x line …   Useful english dictionary

  • mean line — Print. an imaginary x high line. Also called x line. * * * …   Universalium

  • Mean line — Верхняя линия (строчных букв) …   Краткий толковый словарь по полиграфии

  • mean line of advance — In naval usage, the direction expected to be made good over a sustained period …   Military dictionary

  • Mean — Mean, a. [OE. mene, OF. meiien, F. moyen, fr. L. medianus that is in the middle, fr. medius; akin to E. mid. See {Mid}.] 1. Occupying a middle position; middle; being about midway between extremes. [1913 Webster] Being of middle age and a mean… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Mean distance — Mean Mean, a. [OE. mene, OF. meiien, F. moyen, fr. L. medianus that is in the middle, fr. medius; akin to E. mid. See {Mid}.] 1. Occupying a middle position; middle; being about midway between extremes. [1913 Webster] Being of middle age and a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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