Great primer is a large font size (18 points) that was used in the printing of English Bibles and other large-format books, leading to its other name of Bible Text. The largest size ever (or at least up to about 1843) used in England for printing books, it was several sizes larger than English (14 pt) but smaller than paragon (20 pt). It was known in Italian as testo. Other synonyms include Double Bourgeois, 18-point, Gros Romain (French), Text (Dutch) and Tertia (German).
Great-primer size fonts have been in use since William Caxton, around 1488.
See also
References
- TYPE-FOUNDING, The Penny Cyclopædia, The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, London, 1843, Volume XXV, accessed on Google Books 24 June 2010.
- Savage, William, A Dictionary of the Art of Printing, London, 1841, accessed 24 June 2010 on Google Books.
- Hansard, Thomas Curson, Typographia: An Historical Sketch of the Origin and Art of Printing, London, 1825, accessed on Google Books 24 June 2010.