didot

Didot refers to a prominent family of French printers and the associated typographic style they developed in Paris during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Didot name is linked especially to Firmin Didot and his father Pierre, who produced refined metal type and helped establish new standards in French typography.

Didot typefaces belong to the Didone (modern serif) category, characterized by high contrast between thick and thin strokes, vertical stress, and unbracketed serifs. The design emphasizes elegance and legibility at display sizes and has influenced many later serif families, including Bodoni.

In practice, Didot faces are commonly used for display, headlines, branding, and editorial work, particularly in fashion and luxury contexts. They are valued for their crisp, refined appearance, but their high contrast can reduce legibility in long passages at small sizes.

Numerous metal cuts were created by the Didot family, and digital revivals and variants are now produced by modern foundries under the Didot name. Contemporary Didot fonts are widely available in digital typography and are used to evoke a classic French neoclassical mood in branding and publication.

The name Didot also designates a traditional European typographic unit called the Didot point, a historical measure used in print before standardization, distinct from the PostScript point.