A skeleton typeface is cut with uniform, hairline strokes that lack the varied thickness of standard roman letters. Printers use these ultra-light fonts for delicate display work, subtle captions, or to contrast heavily against bold elements on a page. The lack of bulk means the type can easily get lost or suffer from broken lines if printed on rough paper or with too little ink.
Heard on the job
We need to run the skeleton font on a smoother stock, or those thin ascenders are going to break up on the press.
Insider tip
Because the lines are so fine, skeleton type demands precise impression pressure to avoid punching through the sheet while still transferring enough ink.