Herald Nib Roman

Its x-height is 69.4% of the cap height, near the 69.6% typical of serif fonts in the library, lower than 23 of the 39 other serif fonts. Ascenders on b, d, h, k and l line up with the capitals (100% of their height), and descenders on g, j, p, q and y drop 30.6% of the cap height below the baseline, deeper than 25 of the 39 other serif fonts. Its letters are of average width for serif fonts: an average lowercase letter, spacing included, is 83.1% as wide as the capitals are tall (an average capital, 91.6%), within 3.3% of the median. The o is close to a circle, 1.08 times as wide as it is tall, and M and W are the widest capitals, at 1.09 times the width of H. The O tops out level with H and stands 1% above the baseline.

The letters stand upright, with no measurable slant. Vertical stems measure 17.3% of the cap height, heavier than 22 of the 35 other serif fonts. Ink covers 30.8% of each lowercase letter's box (its advance width by the cap height), lighter than 22 of the 39 other serif fonts. Strokes change thickness with direction: the sides of o and O are 2.7 times as thick as their tops and bottoms.

Its 148 characters include 105 Latin letters, plus 43 figures, punctuation marks and symbols; 53 of the Latin letters are accented or special forms beyond A to Z. The word space measures 33.6% of the cap height, and the blank space either side of a lowercase letter takes up 5.7% of its width. Spacing is adjusted with 242 kerning pairs, more than 26 of the 39 other serif fonts. The tightest of them is VA, which closes up by 26.9% of the cap height. The figures have different widths, so columns of numbers set in Herald Nib Roman will not line up exactly.

Herald Nib Roman is drawn on the same letter structure as 3 other fonts in the library. Compared with Herald Nib Roman, Crypt Roman adds paint drips and sets 14% narrower. Regal Inline cuts a thin line along each stroke and puts down 47% less ink. Treatise Roman sets 7% narrower.