Small caps is a term used in typography to refer to a font that is all in capital letters, but with the height of the letters equal to that of lowercase letters. The spelling of small caps is /smɔːl kæps/, with the first word pronounced like 'mall' with an 's' sound in front, and the second word pronounced like 'caps' with a 'k' sound in front. Small caps are often used for headings, subheadings, and abbreviations in printed materials to create a clean, uniform look.
Small caps refers to a typographic style that is used to represent uppercase (capital) letters in a smaller size than the regular uppercase letters. In this style, the height of the small capital letters is usually close to the height of lowercase letters, making them appear smaller in relation to the regular uppercase characters.
The small caps style is commonly used in typography for various purposes. It can be used for emphasis or to create a balanced and consistent appearance within a text. Small caps may also be employed to distinguish abbreviations, acronyms, or initialisms from the surrounding text.
The small capital letters themselves are derived from the regular uppercase letters, but they are usually modified to achieve a more harmonious integration with the lowercase characters. Small caps tend to have thicker strokes and wider proportions compared to regular lowercase letters. They retain the basic shape of uppercase letters, but are reduced in size without increasing the contrast with lowercase letters.
Designers and typographers often carefully craft small caps to maintain overall consistency without sacrificing legibility. Small caps can be an effective stylistic choice for headers, titles, and other design elements, as they add visual interest and provide a sense of elegance and sophistication. Their use can enhance readability while maintaining a coherent typographic structure within a document or design.
The term "small caps" in typography refers to a style of letters where uppercase characters are rendered in a slightly smaller size, similar to lowercase letters, while still maintaining the proportions and weight of uppercase letters. The etymology of the term "small caps" is derived from the combination of "small" and "capital" letters.
In traditional typography, text is composed of two cases: lowercase (small) letters and uppercase (capital) letters. Small caps emerged as a typographic style that offered a middle ground between the two. Instead of using full-size uppercase letters or lowercase letters, small caps provided an alternative where capitals were reduced in size but still retained their visual weight and prominence.
The term "small caps" itself is a simple description of this style, combining the words "small" to denote a smaller size and "caps" as a shorthand for capital letters.