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Subject:Re: Fonts used in print From:"Michael West" <mbwest -at- bigpond -dot- net -dot- au> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sun, 15 Dec 2002 08:48:15 +1100
A clarification -- in writing the remarks below, I was
thinking of printed material. These generalizations
do NOT apply to on-screen text, and in fact are likely
to be the exact opposite of the case with
respect to reading text on-screen. Serif faces
do not, in general, work very well on screen for
large blocks of text. Some work better than others
(compare Georgia, for example, to Times Roman).
-MW
>
> Americans and Brits are likely to prefer serif faces for
> body text. Sometimes sans serif faces are thought to
> be more suited for technical material. I think this is
> derived from their traditional use for statistical and
> mathematical data--sans serif faces generally presenting
> a cleaner representation of numbers than serif faces
> (where the serifs are merely visual noise rather than
> tracking aids).
>
> Most native English-speakers will find unweighted sans
> serifs (Helvetica-style) more tiring to read in large blocks
> than serif faces (Times-style). This assumes that the
> type has been properly set with respect to size, placement,
> leading, column width, and so on.
>
> If you were to try the same comparison in France, Belgium,
> or Switzerland, you would have different results. There,
> the primary schoolbooks have traditionally been set in
> sans serif type.
>
> --
> Mike W
> Melbourne
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