Courier vs Slab Serif

Courier was influenced by Slab Serif — a slab-serifed fixed-width design.

Type specimen — Courier (Monospace slab); shown in Cousine, a metric match (OFL)

Courier

The slab-serifed monospace designed for IBM typewriters in 1955, so ubiquitous it became the visual default of the typewritten page — and, by industry decree, of the screenplay. Every glyph marches at the same fixed width.

  • Fixed monospaced width across all glyphs
  • Blunt slab serifs padding narrow letters
  • Low stroke contrast for ribbon-impact durability
  • Open counters and sturdy, even forms
  • Wide, generous letter spacing
Full Courier guide →
Type specimen — Slab Serif (Serif family); set in Roboto Slab (OFL)

Slab Serif

Heavy, blocky serifs as thick as the stems, born for the bold demands of nineteenth-century advertising. Low contrast and squared-off, it shouts where the Didone whispers.

  • Thick, square serifs nearly equal in weight to the stems
  • Low stroke contrast, often near-monoline
  • Bracketed (Clarendon) or unbracketed (geometric) serif joins
  • Sturdy, even, mechanical proportions
  • Large x-height with robust, blocky color
Full Slab Serif guide →

At a glance

CourierSlab Serif
Era1955–present1810s–1840s
DisciplineTypographyTypography
RegionUnited States, GlobalEngland, United States
FamilyMonospaceSerif
Formal traitsmonospaced, fixed-width, slab-serif, low-contrastslab-serif, low-contrast, monoline, vertical-stress

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