Singleheight

Singleheight is a term found primarily in niche typography and font-design discussions. It generally refers to a design or layout condition in which vertical space is kept uniform or minimized, so that lines or glyphs occupy a single, consistent height without additional leading or variable heights.

In typography and digital typesetting, singleheight is often described as a line-height setting equal to the font size, producing little to no extra leading between lines. In CSS terms, this corresponds to a line-height around 1.0, which yields a compact text block where each line sits almost directly above the previous one. Proponents argue that singleheight can improve vertical density and alignment in tightly composed documents, while critics note it can reduce readability on longer passages.

A secondary usage of the term appears in the context of bitmap or display fonts, where singleheight describes glyphs that all share the same vertical extent. Such fonts are designed to fit a fixed grid, simplifying rendering on limited-resolution screens and ensuring consistent vertical alignment, especially in user interfaces or early computer systems.

The term is not standardized and may be used differently across sources. It is most common in discussions of font metrics, line spacing, and fixed-height bitmap fonts. When encountered, the precise meaning often depends on the surrounding technical context.

See also: leading, line height, fixed-height font, bitmap font, typography.