Serif alphabets: Roman capitals, slab serif, high-contrast serif

Serif alphabets are letters in their classic families: Roman, slab and high-contrast, for lettering, signs and engraving. The nine reference sheets chart the Roman inscriptional capitals A to Z with wedge-shaped serifs, slab serif capitals and lowercase with thick square serifs, and high-contrast capitals with hairline serifs and heavy stems. Each family is shown in solid black, as a thin outline, or with baseline guides. Ask for numbers, a word or italic.

• a reference for a sign painter
• a guide for an engraving
• a poster heading in a classic serif
• a lettering study sheet

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between slab and high-contrast?

Slab has thick, square serifs and even stroke weight. High-contrast has hairline serifs and heavy vertical stems.

What is a Roman capital?

The inscriptional capital with wedge-shaped serifs, the form of letters cut into stone.

Are these complete alphabets?

Each family's capitals run from A to Z. The slab sheet also has lowercase a to z.

What do the guides show?

The guided sheet shows baseline, x-height and cap-height lines, so the letters can be placed to a line.

About toile

This page is a showcase and a starting point: nine samples already rendered, three readings of the pack crossed with three styles, each shown at the size and ratio it was made for. Take any of them further on the wall with a few words, or ask for all nine again under your own direction; a sign-in keeps what you make, and it is free while Toile is new. The recipe behind each sample — the subject, the style, the palette, the framing — travels with the image rather than staying private to the render: it is in the alt text of every sample and in the page's own structured data, so a search engine reads the same handles a person would.