Great primer

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,[1] it was several sizes larger than English (14 pt) but smaller than paragon (20 pt). It was known in Italian as testo.[2] 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.[3]

  1. ^ TYPE-FOUNDING, The Penny Cyclopædia, The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, London, 1843, Volume XXV, accessed on Google Books 24 June 2010.
  2. ^ Savage, William, A Dictionary of the Art of Printing, London, 1841, accessed 24 June 2010 on Google Books.
  3. ^ Hansard, Thomas Curson, Typographia: An Historical Sketch of the Origin and Art of Printing, London, 1825, accessed on Google Books 24 June 2010.