Copperplate Script

カッパープレート・スクリプト / 17th–18th century– / Style / Lettering

The engraver's thin, fluent line produced the ideal of the written hand, and it settled into the letter of formality, of society and of certificates.

Copperplate Script — Bickham's The Universal Penman 1733–43 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Bickham's The Universal Penman 1733–43 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Copperplate Script — Bickham's epistolary hand — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Bickham's epistolary hand — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Copperplate Script — Flourishes from The Universal Penman — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Flourishes from The Universal Penman — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

At a glance

Visual cues

  • Hairline-and-swell contrast
  • Continuous strokes
  • Slanted oval skeleton
  • Flourishes

Best used for

  • Invitations, certificates and diplomas where a formal written hand is expected
  • Brand and product names on labels meant to feel like an old trademark

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Dictionary entry

Type
Limit capitals and flourish to one place, keeping slant and oval steady below
Composition
Stack centered lines with open leading so flourishes have room to travel
Material
Smooth heavy stock and a process that holds hairlines, foil or engraving suits it
Caution
Adding too many flourishes hides the skeleton of the letters, and the effect reads as generic decoration rather than formality.
Further study
George Bickham / English round hand / the mutual influence of graver and pen

Related entries

Often confused with

More from Lettering

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Cite this entry

The dictionary is meant to be linked to. Take whichever form fits where you are writing.

Link
https://indexstyle.org/styles/copperplate-script
Markdown
[Copperplate Script — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/copperplate-script)
HTML
<a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/copperplate-script">Copperplate Script — IndexStyle</a>

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