The blackletter typeface (also
called Old English, Gothic script, or Textura) is a script that was well used
in Western Europe from the 12th to the 17th century. The Gutenberg Bible,
the first book printed, used this typeface. Noticeable in the blackletter
typeface is its dramatic thick and thin strokes and sometimes elaborate swirls.
Major
classifications of blackletter that are still used this time are Textura,
Rotunda, Schwabacher, and Fraktur.
But because blackletter is
difficult to read when printed, it became less popular in the 1500s. People and
printers were using Roman and Italic faces as they were easier to read and
print. Germany, though, continued to use blackletter until the 20th
century.
