• the_mighty_kracken@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      The typical use for the “lower case” numbers is in body copy, because that style of number fits in better with the old style and transitional fonts that are typically used there. So, you are most likely to see them when you are reading a book or an article, but not in the headlines or chapter titles.

      Source: just sat through a lecture on this last week in Intro Typography.

    • sorter_plainview@lemmy.today
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      8 days ago

      As far as I know, that is the ‘number case’. Where the difference between upper and lower case is defined based on alignment of the numbers with baseline of typography.

      I think the post is taking about ‘letter case’. Which we commonly use to yell at people through text. I don’t think there is an equivalent like that in case of numbers. Mainly because numbers came from languages which are unicase by default. Like the Indian languages and Arabic.

        • anomnom@sh.itjust.works
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          7 days ago

          Most font packages call it old style figures.

          In typography class we were taught to call the lining and non-lining figures.

        • sorter_plainview@lemmy.today
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          7 days ago

          It is lowercase only. But lowercase in number case. The upper and lower case is distinguished based on alignment in this, where in text case it is based on shape and/or size.

          Edit: my use of the words number case and letter case does not look like the standard words. But the concept still exist. Check this: https://totallytype.com/figures.php

    • rustydrd@sh.itjust.works
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      7 days ago

      IDK, I don’t think old style and lining figures are analogous to lower- and uppercase letters. They’re not really different glyphs, at least not like lower- and uppercase letters are, and I would see them more as different ways of typesetting the same glyph.

      Edit: Wikipedia does not agree with me.