Serif fonts have small decorative strokes that are added to the end of a letter's main strokes and are called serifs. Serifs were developed on Roman inscriptional capitals to improve elegance and legibility. They were actually painted on the stone with a brush and then carved. Serifs survive in modern typography because of their beauty and classical associations, and because they help your eye read text more easily. Some are subtle and others may be quite pronounced and obvious.