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Typefaces

The type case

In the type case, each compartiment is allocated to a different glyph. You will have noticed that the compartiments are of different sizes, defined according to the frequency of use; the latter also determines their layout, the arrangement of which makes it possible to minimise the movements required to pick up the type. Traditionally, the capital letters were stored in a separate drawer, or case, placed above the case holding the other letters (this is why the capital letters are called ‘uppercase’ characters, and the minuscules are ‘lower case’). Over time, the cases were combined into a single case.
In Italy there are different kinds of type cases in use: among the most common are the Italian, French, and the Rossi case, the most popular.