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I must have been in the same library, the majority of my tech writing bibles
say the same thing - and it is also what I was taught. It is also what is
practiced at Xerox - serif in North America, sans serif in Europe (the book Mr.
Martin refers to is a Xerox Press Publication).
Some people may have different beliefs/practices, but that is no excuse for
tacky, snide comments.
PS - only the librarian's hair was green.
Suzette Seveny
Markham, Ontario, Canada
sseveny -at- petvalu -dot- com or suzette -at- yesic -dot- com
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DISCLAIMER:
Any opinions expressed are MY opinions.
Feel free to have your own.
Let's agree to disagree
But Please - Don't Flame Me.
Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while, I was a suspect.
Chuck Martin wrote:
<I learned that the reasoning behind this difference was because of what
<was used to teach children to read. Apparently, in the U.S., most books
<are printed in serif fonts, while in Europe, most books are printed in
<Sans serif fonts.
>
CASSIN Gilles wrote:
> Dunno which European bookshop you frequented. Was it that one with the
> green librarian, which tentacled your book while typing the bill with
> her antennas?
>
Chuck Martin replied:
> Actually, it was one of several things I learned in one of my Technical
> Communication classes, from an instructor (Tom Williams) who is quite
> knowledgeable about teh technical details of subjects such as fonts,
> readability, screen design, and so on.
>
> >From one of that class' texts: "The typefaces we learned to read with
> are the ones we are used to and that we therefore find most congenial
> and comfortable. In the United States those happen to be the faces with
> serifs (Century, Primer, Times Roman, and so on). In Europe, sans serif
> is the rule rather than the exception."
> - Graphic Design for the Electronics Age, Jan V. White, ISBN:
> 082302122X, p. 13
>
