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I was wondering what differences are between typeface and font?

What are some examples of typefaces and of fonts that are used often?

Both textual and visual explanation will be appreciated, and the latter is especially helpful.

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@ Tim: I'm not sure the question as it is phrased now is on-topic on TeX.sx, as it isn't directly related to (La)TeX. If you'd like to know what fonts you can easily use with LaTeX, take a look at the answer to Typefaces that Come with the Standard LaTex Distribution... – Jake Jul 11 '11 at 2:06
@Jake: They are concepts of typography, which Tex belongs to. Understanding the concepts helps understanding and using Tex. – Tim Jul 11 '11 at 2:13
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I totally see your point, but there is a risk of broadening the scope too much if questions start covering purely typographical questions. See for example the discussion the Meta site: What Should the Policy be on Typography and Design Questions? – Jake Jul 11 '11 at 2:20
Yes, maybe it would be better asked on the Graphic Design site. – ℝaphink Jul 11 '11 at 5:34
I have to agree with Jake. The question would be better phrased using a direct TeX connection. Also please no salutation lines and please start the title always with a uppercase letter. Thanks. – Martin Scharrer♦ Jul 11 '11 at 6:50

closed as off topic by Jake, lockstep, Joseph Wright♦ Jul 12 '11 at 7:21

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1 Answer

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A font is a typeface of a particular weight and size. From Wikipedia:

The term typeface is frequently conflated with font; the two terms had more clearly differentiated meanings before the advent of desktop publishing. The distinction between font and typeface is that a font designates a specific member of a type family such as roman, boldface, or italic type, while typeface designates a consistent visual appearance or style which can be a "family" or related set of fonts. For example, a given typeface such as Arial may include roman, bold, and italic fonts.[1] In the metal type era, a font also meant a specific point size, but with digital scalable outline fonts this distinction is no longer valid, as a single font may be scaled to any size.

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Thanks! But I am still not sure that I can understand from the quote the differences between font and typeface, as asked in my post – Tim Jul 11 '11 at 2:10
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The typeface is the family, and the fonts are the members. For example, Times is a family, and its members are roman, bold, italic, condensed, etc. – Emre Jul 11 '11 at 2:15
In the quote, it also says that "a given typeface such as Arial may include roman, bold, and italic fonts." So do the two typefaces, Arial and Times, have the same set of fonts? Are Arial and Times the same typeface? – Tim Jul 11 '11 at 2:18
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No, Arial and Times are two separate typefaces. Arial bold condensed is a font from the Arial typeface. Times bold condensed is a font from the Times typeface, and it is a distinct font from Arial bold condensed. – Emre Jul 11 '11 at 3:23

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