1Movable type used in letterpress printing — the physical (often metal) blocks used to print characters.
昔は活字を一つ一つ拾って新聞を組んでいた。
In the past, newspapers were set by picking out movable type one piece at a time.
博物館で古い活字の展示を見た。
I saw an exhibit of old printing type at the museum.
2Printed text — characters or writing as they appear in print; by extension, printed matter such as books and newspapers.
最近は活字離れが進み、読書量が減っているそうだ。
Recently people have apparently been moving away from print, and reading volume is declining.
老眼のせいで小さい活字が読みにくくなった。
Because of presbyopia, small print has become hard to read.
彼は活字になった自分の文章を見て感動した。
He was moved to see his own writing in print.
新聞の活字は昔より大きくなった。
The print in newspapers has gotten larger than it used to be.