Editing Typography (section)

=== Inscriptional and architectural lettering ===
{{See also|Epigraphy}}
[[File:Rydal Mount Plaque - geograph.org.uk - 895220.jpg|thumb|upright|Plaque for the [[William Wordsworth]] Sesquicentenary, Rydal Mount, [[Cumbria]], by [[John Shaw (stone carver)|John Shaw]]]] 
The history of inscriptional lettering is intimately tied to the history of writing, the evolution of letterforms and the craft of the hand. The widespread use of the computer and various etching and [[sandblasting]] techniques today has made the hand carved monument a rarity, and the number of [[Letter cutting|letter-carvers]] left in the [[US]] continues to dwindle.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jones |first=Malcolm |date=2018-06-30 |title=Stone Carver Nick Benson Gives Eternity a Run for Its Money |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/stone-carver-nick-benson-gives-eternity-a-run-for-its-money |access-date=2024-03-03 |work=The Daily Beast |language=en}}</ref>

For monumental lettering to be effective, it must be considered carefully in its context. Proportions of letters need to be altered as their size and distance from the viewer increases. An expert monument designer gains understanding of these nuances through much practice and observation of the craft. Letters drawn by hand and for a specific project have the possibility of being richly specific and profoundly beautiful in the hand of a master. Each also may take up to an hour to carve, so it is no wonder that the automated sandblasting process has become the industry standard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historygraphicdesign.com/a-graphic-renaissance/printing-comes-to-europe/827-typography-2|title=Typography|website=History of Graphic Design|access-date=24 October 2017|archive-date=6 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106082550/http://www.historygraphicdesign.com/a-graphic-renaissance/printing-comes-to-europe/827-typography-2|url-status=usurped}}</ref>