What is the imaginary line that all characters rest upon called?

• A. Cap Line
• B. Base Line
• C. Midline
• D. Axis Line

Answer: (B)

The baseline is the invisible line on which most characters rest. It serves as the foundation for alignment across lines of text, so the body of letters sits on it while parts of letters can extend below it as descenders (like g, y, p). Uppercase letters and portions of lowercase letters with ascenders rise above it toward the cap height. The top line for capital letters is the cap line (cap height), which is separate from the baseline. The midline marks the height of the main body of lowercase letters and isn’t the line all characters sit on. The axis line is a specialized term from font design describing stroke orientation, not the general baseline.