Oldstyle figures are a style of numeral which approximate lowercase letterforms by having an x-height and varying ascenders and descenders. They are considerably different from the more common “lining” (or “aligning”) figures which are all-cap height and typically monospaced in text faces so that they line up vertically on charts. Oldstyle figures have more of a traditional, classic look. They are only available for certain typefaces, sometimes as the regular numerals in a font, but more often within a supplementary or expert font. The figures are proportionately spaced, eliminating the white spaces that result from monospaced lining figures, especially around the numeral one.
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Oldstyle figures approximate lowercase letterforms by having an x-height as well as varying ascenders and descenders. Lining (or aligning) figures imitate caps in that they all align on the baseline and the cap height.
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Oldstyle figures work well in text blending in beautifully by not disturbing the color of the body copy.
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Oldstyle figures are very useful and quite beautiful when set within text. Unlike lining figures, they blend in without disturbing the color of the body copy. They also work well in headlines since they’re not as intrusive as lining figures. In fact, many people prefer them overall for most uses except charts and tables. It’s well worth the extra effort to track down and obtain typefaces with oldstyle numerals; the fonts that contain them might well become some of your favorites.
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ITC New Winchester is an example of a typeface that has both oldstyle and lining figures. Small caps are available as well, making it a very versatile design.
In a typeface with a very short x-height such as ITC Braganza, oldstyle figures are much more suitable than lining figures which stand out too much, disturbing the overall color.
Oldstyle figures also work well in headlines; they’re not as intrusive as lining figures.
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