Using Masks and Layers—Painting, Filling, and Color Tools - GIMP 2.6 for Photographers: Image Editing with Open Source Software - page 221

3.7 Typing in GIMP—Adding Text
to an Image

3.7.1 Introduction to Fonts

This section will cover features that you'll need to know when dealing with
fonts.
Sans-serif fonts, such as Arial, Avant Garde, Verdana, and Helvetica,
possess a clean, sober, contemporary style. They are often used for
titles, captions, and heading. They are not suitable for lengthy reading
material because the harder lines can tire the eyes.
Serifs are stylistic flourishes, like cross strokes or curves, added to the end
of the strokes in a character. Popular serif fonts include Times New Roman
and Garamond. Serif fonts are the primary fonts used in topics, magazines, and
newspapers because the softer shapes of the letters make them easier to read.
Another feature that distinguishes fonts refers to the space between
characters.
With proportional type , each alphabetic or numeric character takes up
only the space it needs. Today, most fonts are proportional, including those
previously mentioned. Using proportional type can add visual variety to your
text, especially in web pages.
In contrast, monospace type is familiar to anyone
used to working with a typewriter or teletypewriter. In
monospace type, each alphabetic or numeric character
takes up the same space. For example, a monospaced l
takes as much space as a monospaced w. Today, monospace
types are commonly used to highlight source code in
documents or web pages, or to imitate typewriter text.
One of the most commonly used monospace fonts is
Courier New.
Extraordinary stylistic flourishes are the deciding characteristic
of so-called ornamental or fancy fonts like Comic Sans MS or
Dauphin, which sometimes imitate handwriting or calligraphy. These
fonts are suitable for short text like invitations or to achieve a
creative graphical effect with type. Fraktur and Comic both have a
futuristic flair.
Font sizes are defined in points (pt) or picas (pc). Standard font sizes are
as follows:
1 point (pt) = 1/72 inch = 2.54 cm/72
1 pica (pc) = 12 points (pt)

• NOTE
When you installed GIMP, you
simultaneously installed several
fonts from the Linux world under
Windows, including sans-serif and
serif fonts.