Calligraphy Nib Width Calculator

Nib width from letter height and style ratio.

Nib width (mm)

x-height (nib widths)

Ascender (nib widths)

Descender (nib widths)

Pen angle (°)

Tab to move between fields

x-height (mm)

Cap / ascender height (mm)16

Descender depth (mm)6

Recommended line spacing (mm)26

Thin stroke width (mm)1.41

Stroke contrast ratio1.41

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Nib width (mm), x-height (nib widths), and Ascender (nib widths).
Set Descender (nib widths) and Pen angle (°).
Review the x-height (mm) result.
Use Cap / ascender height (mm) and Descender depth (mm) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Nib width (mm)

Nib width (mm): Width of your pen nib in millimeters. Common sizes: 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 3mm, 5mm.
x-height (nib widths): x-height measured in nib widths. Italic = 5, Foundational = 4.5, Uncial = 4.
Ascender (nib widths): Height of ascenders (b, d, h, k, l) above x-height in nib widths.
Descender (nib widths): Depth of descenders (g, p, q, y) below baseline in nib widths.
Pen angle (°): Angle of the nib from the baseline. Italic ≈ 45°, Foundational ≈ 30°, Gothic ≈ 40°.

x-height (mm): Height of lowercase letters like a, e, o, x in millimeters.
Cap / ascender height (mm): Height from baseline to top of ascenders or capitals.
Descender depth (mm): Distance descenders extend below the baseline.
Recommended line spacing (mm): Baseline-to-baseline distance including 2 nib widths of interline space.
Thin stroke width (mm): Thinnest stroke produced at your pen angle.
Stroke contrast ratio: Ratio of thick to thin strokes. Higher = more dramatic calligraphic contrast.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Nib width (mm) = 2, x-height (nib widths) = 5, Ascender (nib widths) = 3, Descender (nib widths) = 3 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate x-height
x-height = nibWidthMm * xHeightNibs
10 = 10
Calculate Cap / ascender height
Cap / ascender height = xHeightMm + ascenderHeightMm
16 = 16
Calculate Descender depth
Descender depth = nibWidthMm * descenderNibs
6 = 6