Typographers in the early Renaissance set each book in a single font. Pages were decorated with hand-drawn or engraved large letters.
In the sixteen century, European typographers developed chains of standard sizes. In those days, typographers used names for type sizes. There are some examples:
5 pt, pearl
5 1/2 pt, agate
6 pt, nonpareil
7 pt, minion
8 pt, brevier
9 pt, bourgeois
10 pt, long primer
11 pt, small pica
12 pt, pica
14 pt, english
18 pt, great primer
