Lettering style guide
Modified Roman lettering: the sandblast workhorse, and how to match it
Modified Roman is the name shops use for a Roman capital that has been adapted to sandblasting. When lettering is cut through a rubber stencil, very thin hairlines and needle-sharp serifs are fragile to cut, can lift during blasting, and come out shallow in the stone. So the style keeps the Roman skeleton but thickens the thin strokes, shortens the serifs and evens out the letter widths.
The result is sturdy, legible lettering that holds up outdoors, and that is why so many granite stones from the 20th century onward carry some version of it. Each sign-making system and stencil supplier had its own take, so two “Modified Roman” stones from different shops can differ in detail. Identifying the style gets you close; matching the specific stone is about measuring it.
Also called: sandblast Roman, monument Roman.
What to look for
- Stubby serifs
- Serifs are short and often square-ended, slightly flared or gently cupped, rather than tapering to fine points. On the digit 1 and the letter I they look like small blocks.
- Thicker thin strokes
- There is still contrast, but the thinnest strokes are sturdy, often around half the main stroke or more. At a glance the letters look heavier than a classical Roman.
- Evened-out widths
- Round letters are a little narrower and narrow letters a little wider than in classical Roman, so lines of text look more uniform and pack more easily onto a stone.
- Clean, simple joins
- Where strokes meet, such as the vertex of V or the crotch of M, the joins are simplified so the stencil does not have tiny slivers of rubber that would tear.
Telling characters
Dates are a good place to look. The digits 1, 4, 7 and 9 differ more between styles than 0 or 8, and month names supply telling letters: J in JAN., JUNE and JULY; G in AUG.; R in MARCH, APRIL and every month ending in -BER.
| Character | In Modified Roman, look for |
|---|---|
| R | A straight leg kicking out from where the bowl meets the stem, usually ending in a small blunt serif. |
| G | Often has a short vertical spur or bar at the bottom right; check whether it has a serif at the top of the curve. |
| J | Usually sits on the baseline with a short hook; a J that drops below the line suggests a classical Roman instead. |
| 1 | A flag at the top and a flat base serif, both short and blocky. |
| 4 | May be open or closed at the top. It varies between versions, so it is one of the best digits for telling one Modified Roman from another. |
| 7 | Usually a straight diagonal stem with a blunt serif on the top bar. |
| 9 | Tail often curves into a blunt ending; compare it with the 6 if there is one, since they are usually built alike. |
Where Modified Roman is used
Modified Roman is found on upright, slant and flat granite markers across the country, for names, dates and short lines. It is a default choice for many shops because it is legible, cuts cleanly and looks traditional without the fragility of fine hairlines.
On companion stones it is usual for both names and both birth dates to be in the same Modified Roman, with the space for the second death date left blank. That blank space is where most final dates go.
Adding a matching date
Because versions differ, start with the digits on the stone: compare the 1, 4, 7 and 9 of the existing dates with your candidate. A match on the letters but a different 4 is noticeable when the new date sits beside the old one.
Then match height, stroke weight and spacing. Weight matters more than usual here: a lighter Roman next to a heavy Modified Roman looks faint even when the shapes are similar. If the closest font is a touch light or heavy, adjust the height slightly and judge it on the photo.
- Photograph the stone square to its face and measure the polished face’s width and height.
- Measure the existing digits’ height, the spacing between them and where they sit on the stone.
- Write the new date in the same format as the existing one: abbreviations, punctuation and dash.
- Set it in the closest style, at the same height and spacing, on the same baseline.
- Check the new date beside the old one, on a photo or a 1:1 print held against the stone, before cutting.
Closest styles in Monumize
Monumize does not ship any supplier’s Modified Roman. Its closest open-licensed look-alikes are Glyphic Roman, with flared low-contrast serifs, and Flared Roman, which is softer and wider. Monumize compares the photo with every style it has and tells you when the result is only the closest one.
Not sure which style your stone uses?
Monument shops can upload a photo of the stone: Monumize reads the dates already cut, ranks the closest styles in its catalog, and shows the new date outlined on the photo. The first job is free.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is it called “modified”?
- Because it is a Roman capital modified for sandblast stencils: thicker hairlines, shorter serifs and simpler joins, so the rubber stencil cuts cleanly and the letters blast to a good depth.
- Is there one standard Modified Roman?
- No. Sign-making systems and stencil suppliers each had their own version. The family resemblance is strong, but details such as the 4, the G and the serif shape vary, which is why you compare against the digits on the stone.
- Can I use a free font for Modified Roman cut files?
- You can use any font whose licence allows commercial cutting. Monumize uses only fonts under the SIL Open Font License, which allows it, and shows the closest of them on a photo of your stone.