Drew Ink The year

Stroke contrast

Also called Contrast, Modulation

The ratio between the thickest and thinnest part of a single letter, which decides how big a face can go and how small it can survive.

Stroke contrast: a drawn diagram with the stroke contrast marked in vermilion.
Stroke contrast, drawn, Drew Ink. Drawn 2026-09-10.
Stroke contrast: ABCD from Bodoni's Manuale tipografico, the stems heavy and the hairlines and serifs as thin as the press could hold.
Bodoni's majuscules, the Manuale, 1818, Giambattista Bodoni, punchcutter.
Public domainPublic domain: Printed in Parma in 1818 from Bodoni's types by his widow; out of copyright everywhere; Commons tags the file public domain, and this house reads a faithful photograph of a flat public-domain page as carrying no new copyright.
Cropped to four capitals. Retrieved 2026-09-10.

Near it

StressHairlineDidoneText faceVisual contrastShoulder

What it is made of

lowunder about 1.5:1sans faces, and anything meant for small sizes or bad printing
high4:1 and beyonddidone; beautiful large, gone small