All caps

Majuscule, Versalschrift or capital font refers to a font as well as a Schriftauszeichnungsart that only capital letters ( uppercase letters, referred to in the printer language also uppercase ) used and no small letters (lowercase). Example: VERSALSCHRIFT.

An example of majuscule is Capitalis monumentalis, which developed in Rome until about 100 BC. It served as a basis for the development of our current capital letters.

The concept of majuscule exists only in scriptures who know the difference between capital letters and lower case letters, so for example the Latin, Cyrillic, Greek and Armenian alphabet, but not, say, Chinese font. Majuscule or Versalschrift is not to be confused with the term capitalization, which refers to the use of uppercase and lowercase letters.

For the more comfortable entering text in Versalschrift there on typewriters and computer keyboards, the shift lock.

Use

Versalschrift can be used to achieve a uniform typeface, such as headings, company names, on posters, signs and inscriptions. Even in longer legally important texts such as terms and conditions ( " small print " ) Versalschrift is often used.

Individual written in uppercase words or phrases in a text otherwise normal set to this stress. However, the use of Versalschrift generally applies in certain media such as chats and Internet forums as arrival or around screaming, if it has not previously been otherwise identified, and therefore contradicts the rules of a well-maintained civility.

In the handwritten document, the majuscule is also called block letters. It is a special type of document that uses only uppercase letters. Block letters is prescribed because of their better readability compared to cursive often when filling out forms. They are also found in the handwritten speech bubbles from comics application.

Special features in German

For the German is important to note that there are no Versalschrift ß (the large ß is not yet part of the German alphabet ) and each ß by "SS" ( formerly " SZ " usual) must be replaced. To some extent, in Versalschrift, such as inscriptions, dispense with German umlauts, which do not occur in the original Latin alphabet, and instead of Ä, Ö, Ü AE, OE, UE is written, or a ligature as Æ.

Historical capitals

Historical Majuskelschriften be divided into four eras:

Typographic

The letters have in majuscule script - as opposed to small caps - basically all the same heights, occasionally some letters but can also have upper or lower lengths ( particularly in the uncial, but otherwise about as a length for the J or Q). This majuscule as Auszeichnungsart is easy to read in a continuous text, they should be less inhibited by about ten percent as capital letters of the plain text and easily. In order to reach a more uniform gray value on the text page.