Ballspoint
==========

Ballspoint is a modification of Nimbus Sans L, the open-source,
Helvetica-compatible typeface released by URW++. It introduces
microscopic ink-trap cut-outs in select glyphs — ink traps are a
genuine, long-standing typographic technique (corners cut away to
compensate for ink spread at small sizes); Ballspoint repurposes them
to carry hidden detail, discoverable only on close inspection or at
large display sizes. At normal reading sizes it behaves as an entirely
conventional sans serif.

The hidden detail is a metaphor for testicular cancer awareness — the
things men often avoid noticing, checking or talking about. Ballspoint
is not a novelty or gag font. It is a serious typographic project made
in the spirit of "hidden in plain sight": nothing is concealed, every
cut is visible at every size, but whether you see it depends on how
closely you look.


Lineage
-------
Helvetica -> Nimbus Sans L (URW++, GNU General Public License) -> Ballspoint

Four styles are included, for both desktop and web use:
  Ballspoint-Regular
  Ballspoint-Italic
  Ballspoint-Bold
  Ballspoint-BoldItalic


Version
-------
1.001 (6 August 2026) — fixes an OpenType validation error that
prevented the .otf files working in Photoshop, InDesign and Canva.
1.000 (3 August 2026) — first release.


Licence
-------
Nimbus Sans L is released under the GNU General Public License,
version 2. As a modification of Nimbus Sans L, Ballspoint is released
under the same licence — the full text is included alongside this
README as COPYING.

Ballspoint is free, in both senses: free to download, and free to use,
modify and redistribute under the terms of the GPL.

Open item — flagged, not yet resolved: whether to add a font
exception clause (so that documents or software merely *set* in
Ballspoint aren't inadvertently pulled under the GPL themselves), and
whether a later release should move to GPL v3. Confirm with a lawyer
before treating this as final if that matters for a particular use.


Credits
-------
Concept, hidden detail and design: Steve, Human Services
(https://thisishuman.services)

Ballspoint is not associated with, and does not imply endorsement by,
the NHS or any of the charities linked from its homepage. No one was
harmed in the making of this typeface, and if one person is reminded
to check, that's the whole point.
