Use this palaeographic utility to apply a stated dating, script, abbreviation, codicological, metrological, layout, or condition rule consistently while preparing manuscripts for scholarly review.

Nib width (mm)

Full width of the broad nib edge in mm.

Pen angle (deg)

Pen angle in degrees measured from the baseline (strictly between 0 and 90).

Compute exact broad-nib stroke geometry for a nib of width w held at angle theta to the writing line: vertical stems take w*cos(theta), horizontal strokes w*sin(theta), and the thinning ratio is their quotient cot(theta). The tool evaluates the supplied inputs together and returns the named outputs below; it does not infer omitted operating conditions or change the units shown.^[1]

Stem width (mm)

Width of a vertical stem: nib width times cos(angle).

Horizontal width (mm)

Width of a horizontal stroke: nib width times sin(angle).

Thinning ratio

Thinning ratio cot(angle) of stem over horizontal stroke.

• Script and manuscript evidence varies by language, region, institution, period, scribe, material, restoration, and cataloguing convention. A heuristic flag or score is not an authoritative date, hand attribution, reading, provenance, or conservation diagnosis.
• Use finite inputs in the displayed units and preserve more precision than the final presentation requires. Independently verify safety-critical, financial, compliance, or production decisions.

Retain page images, scale, foliation, material, provenance, diplomatic transcription, uncertainty, and comparison exemplars; confirm conclusions with codicological context and specialist judgment.

• Coptic Module Ratio Classifier

  Divide measured letter height by measured pen-nib width for a Coptic hand and classify the module as fine, medium or broad using YOUR supplied thresholds (required inputs, since no single scholarly convention is universal).

• Manuscript Format Classifier

  Classify a codicological format from measured leaf height under the stated adjustable band convention (foliage of at least 280 mm is folio, 200-279 quarto, 130-199 octavo, below 130 small format) and report the exact width-to-height aspect ratio.

• Two-Column Gutter Checker

  Check whether two measured columns plus their gutter reproduce the full text-block width within a stated default tolerance of one millimetre and report the signed discrepancy and the exact column-width ratio.