Technically, it’s incorrect to refer to calligraphy using the word “font”, since etymologically speaking it refers to print technology—i.e., the literal metal letter stamps, cast in a foundry, which would be set by a typesetter to print text. This is also why the word “font” refers to both the size and shape of a given set of letters; we often use the word “font” to mean “typeface”.

In calligraphy, different “fonts” are called “hands”.

Pointed vs. Broad Edge Pen—what’s the difference?

The first pens in Europe were made of feathers, cut to rigid, flat points. The Islamic world used reed or bamboo to create a similar shape. The size, or width, of the nib (tip) remains constant throughout writing, generating shapes in direct and consistent proportion to one another, which the scribe can then assemble into letters.

Then, in the seventeenth century, advances in metal manufacturing in Europe allowed for the production of a new type of flexible, “pointed” nib. With these new nibs, the two tines would flex wider apart with pressure and spring back together with less pressure, making the effective width of the nib changeable throughout a given stroke. This allowed for a more brush-like, organic generation of shapes much more conducive to cursive or “running” writing styles.

This is why older hands like Gothic and Uncial, made with broad-edge pens, do not generally use cursive and look more geometric and complex, while newer hands like Copperplate and Spencerian rely on cursive for a somewhat looser, freer look (and look more similar to modern cursive).

So, what do these hands actually look like?

Great question! Here’s a quick sampler:

Broad Edge Styles

(Arranged roughly from oldest to newest)

Gothic Textura Quadrata (Germanic)