Computer Modern
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| Category | Serif |
|---|---|
| Classification | Didone |
| Designer(s) | Donald Knuth |
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Computer Modern is the original family of typefaces used by the typesetting program TeX. It was created by Donald Knuth with his Metafont program, and was most recently updated in 1992. Computer Modern, or variants of it, remains very widely used in scientific publishing, especially in disciplines that make frequent use of mathematical notation.
As implied by the name, Computer Modern is a "modern" serif font, a genre that emerged in the late 18th century as a contrast to the more irregular designs that preceded them. Modern, or "Didone", fonts have high contrast between thick and thin elements, and their axis of "stress" or thickening is perfectly vertical. Computer Modern, specifically, is based on Monotype Modern 8a, and like its immediate model it has a large x-height relative to the length of ascenders and descenders. Monotype Modern was used extensively for printing mathematics before the arrival of Times New Roman, which publishers began to use after the 1950s. Its selection as a default font for TeX exemplifies Knuth's desire to return to the glories of classic metal-type printing.
The most unusual characteristic of Computer Modern, however, is the fact that it is a complete type family designed with the Metafont system. The Computer Modern source files are governed by 62 distinct parameters, controlling the widths and heights of various elements, the presence of serifs or old-style numerals, whether dots such as the dot on the "i" are square or rounded, and the degree of "superness" in the bowls of lowercase letters such as "g" and "o". This allows Metafont designs to be processed in unusual ways; Knuth has shown effects such as morphing in demonstrations, where one font slowly transitions into another over the course of a text. Computer Modern is by no means the only Metafont-designed typeface, but it is by far the most mature and widely used.
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