What Is Font Style?

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Font style refers to the size, weight, color and style of typed characters within a document, in an email or on a webpage. In other words, the font style changes the appearance of a complete set of characters that make up a typeface or font. The font dictates point size, typeface style, italicization, boldface and other ways characters are manipulated in a word processor.

Although font and typeface are often used interchangeably, they have different meanings. The typeface refers to the style of characters being used, such as Times New Roman, Helvetica, Arial or Verdana. However, when you combine the typeface with other information about the character style in question, it can become part of the font description. For example, Arial bold 12-point describes the font style, whereas Arial is simply the typeface being used.

Many word processing software packages come with style outlines or templates that make the process of formatting a document quicker and easier. While many of these are already built into the software program, many programs give the users an opportunity to create their own custom templates. When templates are used, the typed characters automatically change font and style according to the instructions outlined in the template.