Re: Line Size for page (FM 7.1) LONG

["David Chinell" <dchinell -at- msn -dot- com>]

Joe:

I'm answering a couple of your questions in one e-mail.

Yes, printed material requires different left and right 
(verso and recto) page layouts.

Probably the most important reason is to position the page 
numbers on the outer edges of the book so the reader can 
riffle to the correct page without completely opening the 
book each time he needs to see a page number.

Also, with bound material (like perfect binding or 
three-hole punched paper) you want to have a little extra 
paper on the binding edge so the printed material isn't 
stuck in the middle of  a crack. This extra is sometimes 
called the "gutter."

In addition to riffling for page numbers, books often have 
other random access indicators printed in the outer sides of 
each header, such as chapter or topic titles.

The best thing you can do is study printed material produced 
by publishers of some repute (I like Adobe's manuals, but 
most modern software manuals are well designed.) Analyze 
what they've done and emulate it IF it increases the value 
of your product. (That means it's more useful or less 
expensive for the reader.)

As to type face and size...

Serif vs. sans serif (e.g. Times vs. Arial): There's much 
debate, but it seems that printed material is most readable 
when it's in a face like the one the reader learned to read 
with. That is, most North American schoolbooks are set with 
serif fonts, so North Americans read body text in a serif 
font more easily. The opposite is true for Europeans, where 
sans serif fonts are best for body text.

For displayed text, while I've read no studies, I'm certain 
that fonts specifically designed for on-screen legibility, 
such as Verdana, are better than fonts designed for paper, 
like Arial. I think there's general agreement that sans 
serif fonts are more legible for screen display.

Type size: This is a balance between readability and print 
or display area. The type has to be large enough to be 
readable at the distance and in the lighting conditions in 
which your reader will read it. But it also has to be small 
enough to satisfy the need to see all the information in the 
fewest possible screens or pages. Trial and error, using 
yourself as a guinea pig?

Failing that, for print, most fonts between 10 and 12 point 
are okay. For screen display, assuming you're using a font 
designed for display, you may be able to use fonts between 8 
and 10 points for reference material in controlled 
conditions, but larger sizes for LCD screens (i.e. with 
lower resolution) or where the screen will be at a distance 
greater than 18 inches or so from the reader.

Aaaaannd remember that the font size is only a relative 
indicator of how big the letters are. Compare Times New 
Roman to Century Schoolbook in the same size and you'll see 
what I mean. The Century Schoolbook letter glyphs are 
bigger.

I could go on and on. And maybe some of the others on the 
list will have opposing views. I'd love to hear them, even 
if it is the umpteenth time.

Bear 

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