WeiDoes anyone know anything about the broken slash that sometimes appears in precomposed fractions – whether there was a clear first precedent, or if it goes back to metal?
Aaron Bell@w__h_ the first time I recall seeing it was in Recursive but I wouldn't be surprised if it predates that
Edgar Walthert 
@sajatype @w__h_ Recursive is definitely post IBM Plex Mono, that is shown in the sample.
Let’s ask @boldmonday, if there was a historic example for this.
Let’s ask @boldmonday, if there was a historic example for this.
Triple ⁂@eWalthert @sajatype @w__h_ not that it helps but I remember seeing it in @ohno Covik, released in 2018.
Bold Monday@triple @eWalthert @sajatype @w__h_ @ohno
Broken fraction bars were already part of Nitti (2007) before we developed IBM Plex Mono in 2016. I guess historical examples can be found in typewriter typefaces. But Pieter @cakelab is the best person to ask about this.
Broken fraction bars were already part of Nitti (2007) before we developed IBM Plex Mono in 2016. I guess historical examples can be found in typewriter typefaces. But Pieter @cakelab is the best person to ask about this.
Florian Hardwig@boldmonday @triple @eWalthert @sajatype @w__h_ @ohno @cakelab Here’s an example from the realm of metal type, shown by Pittsburgh Type Founders in 1918. Not a systematic approach, but definitely fractions with broken bars.
Tim Ahrens@fhardwig @boldmonday @triple @eWalthert @sajatype @w__h_ @ohno @cakelab FWIW, British road signage omits the fraction slash entirely, as in ‘1¹₂ miles’
Erik@timahrens @fhardwig @boldmonday @triple @eWalthert @sajatype @w__h_ @ohno @cakelab Barless fraction on an English roadsign, after a design by Margaret Calvert and Jock Kinneir. Photo at the Central Lettering Record, Central St Martins. https://collections.arts.ac.uk/collections/clr
@triple @sajatype @w__h_ @ohno @cakelab That’s what I remembered, that there are typewriter examples already using that. But I assumed @boldmonday would know the examples. Thanks @justvanrossum for pulling them out.
@fhardwig even finding a letterpress example is really surprising!
@fhardwig even finding a letterpress example is really surprising!
Pieter van Rosmalen@boldmonday @triple @eWalthert @sajatype @w__h_ @ohno I started designing Nitti in 2006 as a typeface for use in my own correspondence. At first, the fraction used a continuous line rather than a broken one. I felt the fractions didn’t look good that way. I remember seeing a percent symbol in some kind of monospaced typeface that used a broken line, unfortunately I don’t remember which typeface it was. I liked it and adapted the idea for the fractions in Nitti. Since than I use a broken fraction for all monospaced designs.