The upper-case letters of Lentzers fit into the shape of a convex lens and the lower-case letters fit into the shape of a concave lens. The typeface was designed to have concave shapes alternate with convex shapes so the letters snuggle together. The OpenType contextual alternatives (calt) feature will automatically make this happen if your word processor supports it. (To get only concave or convex shapes, one must turn off the contextual alternatives feature. With only concave shapes the spaces between letters form thin convex lenses and with only convex shapes the spaces between letters form thin concave lenses. The name of the family was inspired by these lens shapes and also by the name of distant ancestors.)


Lentzers is caps only. It comes in three weights: light, regular, and bold. It is eye-catching for posters and titles and poorly suited for text.