'Block letters' may mean any of the following :
★ Block letters can be used to write to disguise one's handwriting. That way, individuals cannot easily determine who wrote messages, notes, etc. This form of block letters is particularly useful.
★ In America they are simple letters that children are taught to write in first grade. They have no serifs and are upright. The name presumably comes from their appearance on wooden blocks that children play with, although these often use conventional Roman typeforms. Deriving from this usage, “block letters” any crude
serif or
sans-serif font that is formed by cutting a material such as
wood or
metal without the finer-artistry sophistication usually associated with professional
type design in
typography.
★ On official forms, when one is asked to write one's name, the request is usually made to write entirely in
capital letters (block letters). This is because cursive handwriting, and especially signatures, can be hard to read. It is often misconstrued that one must write in
capital letters when writing in block letters. Contrary to popular belief, and requests from Treasury, block letters can be written in both upper and lower case, at the writer's discretion. Cases such as ''Fossil Inc v The Fossil Group'' involving patents, trademarks and registration of designs clearly indicate that block letters may comprise of either lower or upper case.
★ A style of
business letter format in which the text is fully right-aligned and contains double-spacing between
paragraphs instead of having
indentations.