Template:Dropinitial

   This template is for creating the "drop initial" effect that is common in both modern and antiquated typography:



To use
 .

The font-size parameter and margin value parameters should be specified with relative units, i.e. as a percent or in 'en' or 'em' units.

None of the parameters are necessary, in which case the defaults are:


 * content = A
 * font-size = 3em
 * margin-right = .1em

Which should produce a drop initial approximately the height of two lines in the current Wikisource default font.

Note: Fonts can be rendered slightly differently in different browsers and on different operating systems. You may wish to check your work in Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera, Windows Internet Explorer or other web browsers on different computers to ensure that the text wraps around the initial in the way you expect it to if you are not using the default values.

Typography Notes
If you simply need to have an enlarged initial in a text, which is not dropped below the baseline, use the template largeinitial:

orem ipsum sit amet...

Technical Notes
This template simply generates a left-floated span (w/style display: block;) containing content with the proper CSS styles applied to it. Unfortunately the CSS 3 styles specifically directed at formatting drop initials are not implemented in browsers at this point. In planning for the future this template applies a class "dropinitial" to the output span.