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I wouldn't call them uppercase and lowercase numerals. That suggest a functionality of those numerals that isn't true. The link in the answer shows the correct

by bhaak 9y ago

I wouldn't call them uppercase and lowercase numerals. That suggest a functionality of those numerals that isn't true. The link in the answer shows the correct distinction between them http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/book-design-part-3/ http://theworldsgreatestbook.com/book-design-part-3/ but a only slightly incorrect TL;DR is oldstyle figures are for numbers in a text flow and lining is for mathematical use of numbers like in tables or technical papers. OTOH there are true uppercase and lowercase numerals. Roman numerals: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerals_in_Unicode#Roman_numerals_in_Unicode https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerals_in_Unicode#Roman_nume...

dghf 9y ago
> I wouldn't call them uppercase and lowercase numerals. That suggest a functionality of those numerals that isn't true. Well, the terms "uppercase" and "lowercase" come from movable-type printing. The individual slugs bearing capital letters were kept in a separate case, positioned behind and above the case holding the small letters: hence literally the upper and lower cases. So, for a font with both titling and old-style figures, if the titling figures were kept in the same case as the capital letters and the old-style figures in the same case as the small letters, then referring to them as uppercase and lowercase respectively would be technically correct. But I don't know whether that's the practice.
- eddyg 9y ago
  Drawing of printer's "upper case" and "lower case" (although unfortunately it does not show titling and old-style figures in the different cases): http://imgur.com/gallery/fAvUg http://imgur.com/gallery/fAvUg
  - dghf 9y ago
    The Wikipedia article on old-style figures [0] gives the impression there was something of a religious war between their proponents and the proponents of titling figures when the latter were first introduced (with words like 'preposterous' being thrown about), so maybe it was rare or even unknown for fonts to contain both before the advent of digital typesetting. In the drawing you link to, are those small caps on the left side of the upper case? [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_figures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_figures

by bhaak 9y ago

dghf 9y ago

> I wouldn't call them uppercase and lowercase numerals. That suggest a functionality of those numerals that isn't true. Well, the terms "uppercase" and "lowercase" come from movable-type printing. The individual slugs bearing capital letters were kept in a separate case, positioned behind and above the case holding the small letters: hence literally the upper and lower cases. So, for a font with both titling and old-style figures, if the titling figures were kept in the same case as the capital letters and the old-style figures in the same case as the small letters, then referring to them as uppercase and lowercase respectively would be technically correct. But I don't know whether that's the practice.

eddyg 9y ago
Drawing of printer's "upper case" and "lower case" (although unfortunately it does not show titling and old-style figures in the different cases): http://imgur.com/gallery/fAvUg http://imgur.com/gallery/fAvUg
- dghf 9y ago
  The Wikipedia article on old-style figures [0] gives the impression there was something of a religious war between their proponents and the proponents of titling figures when the latter were first introduced (with words like 'preposterous' being thrown about), so maybe it was rare or even unknown for fonts to contain both before the advent of digital typesetting. In the drawing you link to, are those small caps on the left side of the upper case? [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_figures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_figures