Compare Fonts → Serif → Playfair Display vs Roboto Slab

Playfair Display vs Roboto Slab

Both are serif faces on Google Fonts. Roboto Slab has the larger x-height, so it looks bigger at the same size. Roboto Slab takes more horizontal space.

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Playfair Display

Handgloves & Quartz Jockeys

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs, then ship it to 1,842 Grove Street by 9:30 AM.

Roboto Slab

Handgloves & Quartz Jockeys

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs, then ship it to 1,842 Grove Street by 9:30 AM.

Measured differences

Measured from the font files. Heights and widths are shown as a share of the font size, so they compare directly at any point size.
Measurement	Playfair Display	Roboto Slab	Difference
x-heightHeight of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.	51.4%	52.8%	1.4%
Cap heightHeight of capitals, as a share of the font size.	70.8%	71.1%	0.3%
x-height to cap ratioProportion of lowercase to uppercase. Higher feels more modern and open.	0.73	0.74	0.02
Stroke weightMeasured thickness of a vertical stroke. Higher is heavier on the page.	9.7%	9.6%	0.1%
Stroke contrastHorizontal stroke divided by vertical. 1.0 is even; below 0.5 means strong thick-thin modulation.	0.21	0.78	0.58
Average character widthMean lowercase advance. Higher takes more horizontal space.	50.9%	54.5%	3.6%

Where they diverge most

Stroke contrast: Playfair Display measures 0.21, Roboto Slab measures 0.78. Horizontal stroke divided by vertical. 1.0 is even; below 0.5 means strong thick-thin modulation.
Average character width: Playfair Display measures 50.9%, Roboto Slab measures 54.5%. Mean lowercase advance. Higher takes more horizontal space.
x-height: Playfair Display measures 51.4%, Roboto Slab measures 52.8%. Height of lowercase letters, as a share of the font size. Higher reads larger at the same point size.

At a glance

	Playfair Display	Roboto Slab
Category	Serif	Serif
Weights	6	9
Variable axes	1	1
Language subsets	4	7
Designer	Claus Eggers Sørensen	Christian Robertson