typeface - technical definition

The design of a set of printed characters, such as Courier, Helvetica and Times Roman. The terms "typeface" and "font" are used interchangeably, but the typeface is the primary design, while the font is the particular implementation and variation of the typeface, such as bold or italics (or none; the normal, upright style).

A major difference between typefaces is whether there are tiny horizontal lines at the tops and bottoms of any straight lines. The age-old serif typeface is Times Roman while Helvetica is the traditional sans-serif typeface. Since the TrueType fonts have become so ubiquitous, Times New Roman and Arial have become widely used for serif and sans-serif fonts. See font.