Printers once kept the type for capitals and for small letters in separate cases; capitals were kept in the upper half of the type case and so became known as upper-case letters.

• 排版工人一度将大写字母和小写字母活字置于不同的格盘（case）中；大写字模放在格盘上的上半方，故而又称为“upper-case letter”。