UNIT 4

LETTERING
Description:
This unit deals with the origin, development, styles, and order of strokes of
lettering, which are fundamental in making specifications, titles, and notes on a
working drawing. It also includes the techniques in lettering.

TERMS USED:

1. Lettering - an act of making letters by hand and other parts

of the
body.
2. Printing - an act of making letters by the use of machines.
3. Alphabet - a system of characters or letters used in
writing a
language. It derived from two Greek words
“alpha” means “beginning” and “beta” means
“second
letter.”
4. Letter - any character in the alphabet.
5. Hieroglyphics - picture-writing or sacred writing. It derived from
two Greek words “hieros” meaning sacred
“glyphein”
meaning to carve.
6. Cuneiform writing - a form of writing whose letters have wedge-
shape. It
was taken from the Latin word “cuneus” which
means
wedge.

IMPORTANCE OF LETTERING

Good lettering enhances the appearance of a drawing, while imperfect

lettering will make a good drawing look sloppy and unprofessional. Lettering
gives other pertinent information necessary for the construction of a machine or
structure, the graphical representation of which failed to show purpose. It must
be easily read and drawn freehand. Figures are of similar importance as of
lettering. Poor figuring can cause grave errors in the manufacture of an article
and much financial loss. The American Standard Association, Inc. (1969)
suggested combining legibility and rapidity in the working drawing requirements
will develop excellent outputs.

Lettering is not only useful in working but also in personal

correspondence, making place cards, signs, posters, labeling books, and

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occasion cards. A keen student in the drawing will acquire great satisfaction on
its many uses.

According to Vince Lombardi: “Practice does not make perfect. Only

perfect practice makes perfect.”

Learning to letters requires:

a. knowledge of the shapes and proportions of the individual characters;

b. knowledge of the order of strokes and direction of strokes used in
making them;
c. knowledge of the rules for combining letters into sentences; and
d. constant correct practice.

History of the Alphabet and Lettering

Before man knew how to write, he provided himself with a means by which
he could leave behind permanent records vital to him. He had no alphabet to use
then, so he made crude pictures on the walls of the cave in Figure 4-1. The
pictures were man’s first step toward an alphabet. Later on, these pictures
became symbols or signs of everyday objects and could tell stories. These
became known as hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics, as a form of writing, was adopted
by the Egyptians. Its history, however, is vague that up to this time, no one knew
who first used hieroglyphics.

Figure 4-1
1. Egyptians

They developed the form of the hieroglyphic of writing. Modification in

ways resulted in cursive hieroglyphics known as a hieratic and demotic script.
After this, the alphabet, which eventually supplemented picture-writing, was
born. The Egyptians used three forms of writing:

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 a. Hieroglyphics which was used on public and official monuments;
b. Hieratic – cursive handwriting; and
c. Demotic script which was the popular flowing style.

Both the hieratic and the demotic script used for private and business
correspondence.

2. Semites
They were the real inventors of the alphabet and had no symbols for
vowels.

3. Phoenicians
The Phoenicians made the next step in the development of the alphabet.
They gave each sound a fixed symbol. There were only twenty-two (22)
consonant letters, though were consonant-vowel combinations.

4. Greeks
They developed the first true alphabet of twenty-four (24) signs. Their
most enormous contribution was the addition of the vowels. When they
pronounced names, the Greeks dropped the consonant sound, thereby
exposing the vowel sound. The letter aleph was a consonant (Hebrew)
unknown to the Greeks. From the word aleph, the letter A was taken. The
Semitic he became E. The direction of the signs and lines in the
Phoenicians were from left to right while in the Greeks writing direction, it
was either left to right or right to left.

A was originally a rough picture of a bull’s head. This letter became a sign.
Its original meaning became lost, but the sign was still in use and written. It later
became the letter A of the present alphabet. Figure 4-2 shows the development
of letter A.

Figure 4-2

5. Romans

During the first century of the Christian era, the Romans developed an
alphabet of capital letters called "majuscules" that we still use at present.
A few of the letters today like U, V, Y, and W developed as late as 17th
century.

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 The old Roman did not contain the lowercase letters. In the time of
Charlemagne in the 14th century A.D., the Carolinian "minuscules" or a
lowercase alphabet was invented. The Roman letters used extensively
until the Gothic alphabet was introduced.

STYLES OF LETTERS

GOTHIC
Gothic letters have the elementary strokes of even width. It is considered
to be the most understandable and most legible style of letters. Gothic letters are
widely used for commercial purposes because of their appearance. For
commercial Gothic letters, the stems vary from one-tenth to one-fifth of the
height. Much care must be kept in keeping them uniform in width at every point of
the letter. Free ends such as on C, G, and S are cut off perpendicular to the
stem.

ROMAN
Roman letters are letters having their elementary strokes "accented" or
consisting of heavy and thin lines. The ends of the strokes terminated with spurs
called "serifs." Roman letters are the best diversified. They extensively used for
names and titles of maps. Commonly they are done in an outline form and filled-
in.

Rules in making Roman letters

1. All downward strokes are thick.
2. All upward and horizontal strokes are thin.
3. Terminate the ends of the letters with serifs.
4. Curved letters are flattened slightly on their diagonals and
5. The width of the stroke may vary from one-sixth of the height of the
letter.

Serifs are classified according to the spurs, as shown in Figure 4-3. Parts of the
Roman letter is shown in Figure 4-4. Common problems encountered in this
letter are letters like M, W, U sometimes letter V, H, Y, and N.

Serif Font

Slab Serif Font

Figure 4-4
Figure 4-3
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Text
Text letters include all types of Old English letters. Text letters are too
illegible for commercial purposes, but they’re the most artistic and elaborate of all
kinds of letters. Text letters commonly used on certificates and diplomas.

Script
Script letters are letters like handwriting. They used in making cards,
notes, and other artworks, and attributed by the Anglo-Saxons.

All styles of letters, when inclined in position, are called Italic. Hence, they
may be called Gothic Italic, Roman Italic, or Text Italic. In any of these styles of
lettering, stability, and uniformity are essential — consistency in height,
proportion, and strength of lines. The stability of letters illustrated in two ways: (1)
the upper portions and lower portions nearly equal in space; (2) but their middle
strokes must be lightly above the centerline to look it more stable.

GENERAL DIVISIONS OF LETTERS

1. DRA
or build-up letters are large letters of titles, posters, and others. They are
made up of drawing their outlines and filled in. Roman letters usually
made in outline.

2. SINGLE STROKE
or written letters – the term "single stroke" or "one stroke" does not mean
that the letters made without lifting the pencil, brush, or pen. To make it
simple, "the width of the stroke of the pen or pencil is equal to the width of
the stem of the letters." This letter generally used on architectural working
drawings. Gothic vertical usually used in commercial purposes.

PROPORTIONS OF LETTERS

1. NORMAL or regular letters are letters having their stems

made regularly and used when space is neither wide nor small.

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 2. COMPRESSED or condensed letters are letters having their stems
narrower in their proportion of width and height. These letters used
when space is limited.

3. EXTENDED letters are wider than normal letters. The

smaller the letters, the more extended should they be in width. A low
extended letter is more legible and better in appearance than a high
compressed letter. Extended letters used when wide space is
available.

CLASSIFICATION OF LETTERS ACCORDING TO:

A. Size

a. UPPERCASE - letters that are big. These are also "majuscules" or

commonly called capital letters.

b. lowercase - letters that are small in size. These are also "minuscules"
or commonly called small letters.

These letters are termed as "uppercase" and "lowercase" because big letters
are placed on the upper part of the printer's case, while the lowercase letters are
placed on the lower portion of the case to prevent them from mixing during
printing.

B. Position

a. VERTICAL LETTERS – letters that stand in an upright position and

forming ninety degrees (90°) with the horizontal guidelines. Vertical
letters are generally in use since it is more legible than inclined letters.
However, these letters are difficult to execute. All vertical strokes
drawn downward, and the horizontal strokes drawn to the right. These
orders of strokes are for both positions.

b. INCLINED LETTERS – letters that form angles between 65 to 75

degrees with the horizontal guidelines. The best slope for inclined
letters is 67 ½ degrees. This slope may be outlined by drawing a
horizontal run of two (2) and a vertical rise of (5). Circular parts of the
letters in this position become elliptical.

67.5°
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 Both the vertical and inclined letters used in industrial
drawings. Capital letters used for title blocks,
information, and notes. Occasionally capital and small
letters are used for notes, particularly on map
drawings. The use of these letters depend on the
choice of the drafters.

Lower case letters grouped into four:

1. Straight-line letters are composed of stems made of a straight line. The

dots of i and j and the cross of t are on the "i" or "T" line-halfway between
the cap and waistlines.

2. Loop letters made with an ellipse whose long axis is inclining at about
forty-five 45º in combination with a straight line.

3. Hook letters made with shape taken from that of a hook.

4. Ellipse letters based on an ellipse with the shape of the capital letter, but
no inclined as much as the loop letters. In rapid small work, the O often
made with one stroke as are also with the c, e, and s. The s is similar to
the capital but except for letters with more than 1/8 inch in height.

The descenders of the g, j, and y terminate in curves that are tangent to the
drop line, while those of p and q terminate on the drop line without a bend. The

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body of the lower case letters is two thirds 2/3 the height of the capital letter with
their stem in the same height of the capital letter except for letter t.
C. Thickness of Stem

1. Boldface letters – letters have thick stems.

BOLD
2. Lightface letters – letters have thin or light stems.
LIGHT
D. Spacing
1. Mechanical spacing – distances between the letters are measured.

2. Optical spacing – letters are spaced by making the area clearance

between them approximately equal. The amount of white space that
appears between the first two letters should appear balanced between
each letter that follows.

Correct spacing is the key to legible lettering. Excellent readability and

appearance of lettering depend upon proper spacing besides the shapes of
letters. It is an excellent rule to keep letters close to each other with much more
extensive space between words. Some letters, in combination, need special
attention in spacing. Letters such as L and T, A and V, maybe overlapped in
clearance between if necessary to secure proper spacing. In some cases, the
widths of a letter may be shortened when followed by A. Letters with parallel
stems appear to be close together than they are (M and N). To overcome this,
increase the space between these parallel sides until the white areas between
these letters appear the same as the white areas between the other letters.
Take note that the space between words should be equal to the height of
a letter or width of letter O; the space between lines of lettering should be similar
to the height of the letter and distance between sentences equal to double width
of letter O.

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 GUIDELINES
Uniformity in height, inclination, spacing, and strength of the line is
essential for good lettering. Uniformity in height and tilt controlled by the use of
guidelines and the slope lines, consistency in width by the skillful use of pencil
and proper control of the pressure of its point on the paper.
Guidelines are fine, light, and curve lines to help make the lettering
straight and uniform. Guidelines are essential lines for good lettering and must
make light that they need not erase. Very light horizontal lines are necessary to
regulate the height of the letters. Light vertical or inclined lines are required to
keep the letter uniformly vertical or inclined.

Guidelines for capital letters

Guidelines for Small Letters

Techniques in Lettering

1. Know the proportion and shape of the letter. Have a clear space image of
the letter before starting to the letter.
2. Learn the order of strokes properly.
3. Know the composition of the letter, spacing of letters, words, and
sentences. Legibility is a key to good lettering.
4. Select lettering pencil carefully. Have a reasonably soft pencil such as
H.B., F, or H.
5. Sharpen pencil to a long conical point.
6. Acquire “snap” or “bearing” down at the beginning and at the end of each
stroke to make them definite.
7. Rotate the pencil for every few strokes to keep the wear of the pencil
leads symmetrical.
8. Hold the pencil properly with the forearm on the drawing board, never with
the forearm off the drawing board.
9. Always letter with guidelines to make the letters straight and uniform. An
excellent draftsperson never letters without guidelines.
10. Have a real determination to improve. Constant and correct practice
makes perfect. Lettering is freehand drawing, not writing. Do not use a
straight edge in lettering.

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 Order of Strokes of Gothic Letters and Numerals shown in Figure 4-5.

REMEMBER THIS LETTERS: Figure 4-5

• "TOM Q VAXY" is 6 units wide.

• “I” is only 1 unit and the narrowest letter in the alphabet.
• “W” is the only letter over 8 units wide.
• The rest of the letters are 5 units wide.
• Letters "O," "Q," "G," "C," and "D" based on the actual circle. While the
lower portions of "J" and "U" are elliptical. Also, no. 8 is composed of
two ellipses, and the 3, 5, and 2 based on the O. The 0, 6, and 9 are
also elliptical.

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Gothic Letters

Roman Letters
Elements of Roman Letters

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 Script Letters

Text Letters
Elements of Text Letters

Old English Text Style

ABCDEFGHIJKLM
NOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghIjklm
opqrstuvwxyz
1234567890
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 UNIT 4 TEST

Multiple Choice:

Direction: Write the letter of the best answer on the space provided before
each number.
_____1. An act of making letters is known as____.
A. lettering C. drafting
B. drawing D. painting
_____2. For certificates and diplomas, the best style of the letter is _____.
A. gothic letter C. text letter
B. script letter D. roman letter
_____3. What group of people contributed to the development of the alphabet by
giving each sound a fixed symbol?
A. Egyptians C. Phoenicians
B. Roman D. Greeks
_____4. It is the spacing that measures the distance between letters.
A. optical spacing C. mechanical spacing
B. technical spacing D. graphical spacing
_____5. The plainest and the most legible of the style of letters is ______.
A. script letter C. roman letter
B. gothic letter D. text letter
_____6. Was hieroglyphics originally based on _____?
A. crude pictures C. wall painting
B. sign painting D. visual aids
_____7. These letters are wider than normal letters.
A. extended letters C. compressed letters
B. normal letters D. condensed letters
_____8. These letters are considered to be the artistic and elaborate styles of
letters.
A. text C. script
B. roman D. gothic
_____9. Inclined letters, regardless of their styles, are called ______.
A. script letters C. italic letters
B. inclined letters D. vertical letters
_____10. The topmost guideline of the lowercase letters is ______?
A. cap line C. baseline
B. waist line D. drop line
_____11. This style of the letter used for the names of a person and buildings.
A. text C. roman
B. script D. gothic
_____12. This division of letter is making first the outline then filled it in the stem
of the letter. Roman letters usually made in this way.
A. sketching C. single stroke
B. drawn or built-up D. technical or final

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_____13. Letter "A" taken from what figure?
A. crude picture C. goat’s head
B. bull’s head D. lion’s head
_____14. What is the best slope for inclined letters?
A. 60 degrees C. 45 degrees
B. 67 ½ degrees D. 75 ¼ degrees
_____15. What proportion of letter used when space is limited?
A. normal C. compressed
B. extended D. none of the above
_____16. In the classification of letters, when letters stand at 90 degrees or in an
upright position these letters called?
A. inclined C. diagonal
B. vertical D. horizontal
_____17. When letters have thick stems, they are called______?
A. boldface C. bold
B. lightface D. light
_____18. These lines are very light, yet essential in regulating the height and
position of letters, what are they?
A. construction lines C. solid lines
B. object lines D. guidelines
______19. What do you call the imaginary line found between the cap line and
waistline?
A. i or t line C. center line
B. middle line D. none of the above
______20. What is the latest letter included in the alphabet?
A. K C. J
B. V D. W

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 Unit 4 Activities

Plate No. 7
Title: Gothic Vertical Letters (Single Stroke)

* Proposed Criteria for Grading the

Drawing Plates
Tools and Materials: Accuracy 30%
Dimensioning 20%
1. pencil Line Uniformity 20%
2. drawing paper Lettering 15%
Neatness 15%
3. foot rule/ruler Total 100%
4. masking tape/drafting tape
5. T-square
6. triangles 30ºx60ºx90º and 45ºx45ºx90º
7. eraser
8. dividers

Steps:
1. Secure a paper and place it on the top of the drawing table using a
drafting tape.
2. Measure the distance of horizontal guidelines (Example: 1 unit is equal to
3mm). Repeat the process until you complete the space. Use dividers to
set off measurements.

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 3. Measure the vertical guidelines (Example: 1 unit is equal to 3mm). Repeat
the process until you complete the space. Use dividers to set off
measurements.
4. Perform Gothic vertical letter (single stroke) following the strokes, several
units, and spacing, as shown in the sample plate and visual aid.
5. Follow the required competencies, as shown in the sample plate and
visual aid.
6. Observe proper body mechanics in doing the job. Also, observe the given
criteria above.
7. Submit your plate as soon as you finish.

Plate No. 8
Title: Composition (Gothic Vertical Letters)

* Proposed Criteria for Grading the

Tools and Materials: Drawing Plates
Accuracy 30%
1. pencil Dimensioning 20%
Line Uniformity 20%
2. drawing paper Lettering 15%
3. foot rule/ruler Neatness 15%
Total 100%
4. masking tape/drafting tape
5. T-square

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 6. triangles 30ºx60ºx90º and 45ºx45ºx90º
7. eraser
8. dividers

Steps:
1. Secure a paper and place it on the top of the drawing table using a
drafting tape.
2. Measure the distance of the horizontal guidelines as given by the
instructor. Use dividers to set off measurements.
3. Measure the vertical guidelines as given by the instructor. Use dividers to
set off measurements.
4. Perform composition using the Gothic vertical letter (single stroke)
following the strokes, several units, indentions, margins, cutting of letters,
and spacing in terms of (period and comma).
5. Follow the required competencies, as shown in the sample plate and
visual aid.
6. Observe proper body mechanics in doing the job. Also, observe the given
criteria above.
7. Submit your plate as soon as you finish.

Plate No. 9
Title: Gothic Inclined Letters (Single Stroke)

58
Tools and Materials:
1. pencil * Proposed Criteria for Grading the
Drawing Plates
2. drawing paper
Accuracy 30%
3. foot rule/ruler Dimensioning 20%
4. masking tape/drafting tape Line Uniformity 20%
Lettering 15%
5. T-square Neatness 15%
6. triangles 30ºx60ºx90º and 45ºx45ºx90º Total 100%
7. eraser
8. dividers

Steps:
1. Secure a paper and place it on the top of the drawing table using a
drafting tape.
2. Measure the distance of the horizontal guidelines as given by the
instructor. Use dividers to set off measurements.
3. Measure the vertical guidelines as given by the instructor. Use dividers to
set off measurements.
4. Perform composition using Gothic inclined letters (single stroke) following
the strokes, several units, margins, and spacing.
5. Follow the required competencies, as shown in the sample plate and
visual aid.
6. Observe proper body mechanics in doing the job. Also, observe the given
criteria above.
7. Submit your plate as soon as you finish.

Plate No. 10
Title: Composition (Gothic Inclined Letters)

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 * Proposed Criteria for Grading the
Tools and Materials: Drawing Plates
1. pencil Accuracy 30%
Dimensioning 20%
2. drawing paper Line Uniformity 20%
3. foot rule/ruler Lettering 15%
4. masking tape/drafting tape Neatness 15%
Total 100%
5. T-square
6. triangles 30ºx60ºx90º and 45ºx45ºx90º
7. eraser
8. dividers

Steps:
1. Secure a paper and place it on the top of the drawing table using a
drafting tape.
2. Measure the distance of the horizontal guidelines as given by the
instructor. Use dividers to set off measurements.
3. Measure the vertical guidelines as given by the instructor. Use dividers to
set off measurements.
4. Perform composition using Gothic Inclined Letter (single stroke) following
the strokes, several units, indentions, margins, cutting of letters, and
spacing in terms of period and comma. Use dividers to set off
measurements.
5. Follow the required competencies, as shown in the sample plate and
visual aid.
6. Observe proper body mechanics in doing the job. Also, observe the given
criteria above.
7. Submit your plate as soon as you finish.
Plate No. 11
Title: Roman Letters

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Tools and Materials:
1. pencil
2. drawing paper
3. foot rule/ruler
4. masking tape/drafting tape
5. T-square
6. triangles 30ºx60ºx90º and 45ºx45ºx90º
7. eraser
8. dividers

Steps:
1. Secure a paper and place it on the top of the drawing table using a
drafting tape.
2. Measure the distance of the horizontal guidelines as given by the
instructor. Use dividers to set off measurements.
3. Measure the vertical guidelines as given by the instructor.
4. Perform Roman Letters (built-up) following the strokes, principles, rule of
stability, proportion, layout, and spacing.
5. Follow the required competencies, as shown in the sample plate and
visual aid.
6. Observe proper body mechanics in doing the job. Also, observe the given
criteria above.
7. Submit your plate as soon as you finish.
Plate No. 11
Title: Text Letters

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Tools and Materials: * Proposed Criteria for Grading the
1. pencil Drawing Plates
2. drawing paper Accuracy 30%
Dimensioning 20%
3. foot rule/ruler Line Uniformity 20%
4. masking tape/drafting tape Lettering 15%
5. T-square Neatness 15%
Total 100%
6. triangles 30ºx60ºx90º and 45ºx45ºx90º
7. eraser
8. dividers
Steps:
1. Secure a paper and place it on the top of the drawing table using a
drafting tape.
2. Measure the distance of the horizontal guidelines as given by the
instructor. Use dividers to set off measurements.
3. Measure the vertical guidelines as given by the instructor. Use dividers to
set off measurements.
4. Perform Text Letters (built-up) following the strokes, principles, rule of
stability, proportion, layout, and spacing.
5. Follow the required competencies, as shown in the sample plate and
visual aid.
6. Observe proper body mechanics in doing the job. Also, observe the given
criteria above.
7. Submit your plate as soon as you finish.
Plate No. 11
Title: Script Letters

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Tools and Materials:
1. pencil * Proposed Criteria for Grading the
Drawing Plates
2. drawing paper Accuracy 30%
3. foot rule/ruler Dimensioning 20%
4. masking tape/drafting tape Line Uniformity 20%
Lettering 15%
5. T-square Neatness 15%
6. triangles 30ºx60ºx90º and 45ºx45ºx90º Total 100%
7. eraser
8. dividers
Steps:
1. Secure a paper and place it on the top of the drawing table using a
drafting tape.
2. Measure the distance of the horizontal guidelines as given by the
instructor. Use dividers to set off measurements.
3. Measure the vertical guidelines as given by the instructor. Use dividers to
set off measurements.
4. Perform Script Letters (built-up) following the strokes, principles, rule of
stability, proportion, layout, and spacing.
5. Follow the required competencies, as shown in the sample plate and
visual aid.
6. Observe proper body mechanics in doing the job. Also, observe the given
criteria above.
7. Submit your plate as soon as you finish.

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