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Subject:Re: Fonts and Point Sizes From:Stuart Burnfield <slb -at- FS -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Thu, 24 Oct 1996 15:09:02 +0800
Danna Cardwell said:
> We are redesigning our template and have tentatively picked Garamond
> 11 point for the body text. Some of our writers have concerns about
> the readability of both the font and point size. We ship our doc as
> hard copy and PDF files, so resolution online is a consideration.
Our new design uses Garamond 10.5 pt, and IMO it looks sensational.
However there were several changes both in the layout and the production
process, so it's impossible to isolate exactly what made the difference.
The old manuals were laser printed on A5 paper ( = 21 x 14.85cm or
8.3 x 5.8" ) using 9.5 pt Gatineau (a Garamond clone).
The new manuals are printed from PostScript by Docutech on 9 x 7.5"
paper, usign ITC Garamond 1. The extra room, larger point size, and
better quality font make a huge difference.
So, I'd have no hesitation recommending Garamond for good quality
printed documents. Whether 11 point is the right size depends on your
page size and layout. I can't comment on its suitability for online
manuals.
Regards
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Stuart "at-35-sprightly-by-techwhirl-standards" Burnfield (slb -at- fs -dot- com -dot- au)
Functional Software Pty Ltd