OpenType Guide · OpenType Panel
Oldstyle Figures
Oldstyle figures have ascenders and descenders, like lowercase letters: some sit within the x height, some reach above it, some drop below the baseline. Inside a sentence they blend in with the words instead of standing out, which makes years, dates and numbers in running text much quieter.
See it in Gabetes
Flip the switch to see what changes.
Where to find it
- Character panel
- Panel menu ☰
- OpenType
- Proportional Oldstyle
Tabular Oldstyle, in the same menu, gives every digit the same width.
- Window
- Type
- OpenType
- Figure
- Proportional Oldstyle
Open the OpenType panel ⌥ ⇧ ⌘ T Mac Alt Shift Ctrl T Windows
Tabular Oldstyle, in the same menu, gives every digit the same width.
How to use it
- Select the paragraph, or the numbers in it.
- Pick Proportional Oldstyle for numbers in running text.
- Pick Tabular Oldstyle if they also need to line up in columns.
Good to know
- They suit body text and lowercase settings; next to capitals, use lining figures instead.
- Set them in your body paragraph style so every number in the text follows.