| Let's face it, we depend on the type we use in | | | | or Lucida Sans). |
| our publications, and many spend a great deal of | | | | Remember, I'm not saying you should use any of |
| time deciding on heading faces and styles. | | | | these fonts - but I am suggesting you consider |
| Too few give the same consideration to the body | | | | them. At the very least, print out some samples |
| fonts. | | | | of text you have previously run in typefaces you |
| Many use Times, or one of its variations, simply | | | | have. And remember that it is no use looking at |
| because it is there - on the computer system and | | | | them on the high quality paper you probably use |
| in all the laser printers. But are we using a | | | | for laser output, or on the paper output from an |
| typeface that is comfortable for our readers? | | | | imagesetter. Try photocopying them onto the |
| A young audience with good eyes, keen to read | | | | lowest quality paper your photocopier will take. |
| the content, will accept, maybe relish the | | | | One word of warning. If you decide on a font |
| reverses, and type over photos and line artwork | | | | which is not installed in your laser printer, you may |
| which is seen in the alternative press. I have seen | | | | find that printing each page takes longer. How |
| much that I like, but tired eyes have difficulty | | | | much longer will depend on computer and printer |
| with it. Maybe that is the point - it is able to be | | | | memory, though this problem is much less likely |
| read by the people it is intended for. | | | | than it was when memory was expensive. |
| Most readers are those who read a newsletter or | | | | Your decision on a typeface should also be |
| newspaper for information and pleasure, and a | | | | accompanied with a decision on spacing. Are your |
| growing number have difficulty physically | | | | spacing defaults still set to the defaults of the |
| discerning type. An optician told me that most | | | | layout program you use. Again, if you have |
| eyes start deteriorating significantly by age 40, | | | | considered others and found these to be what |
| and although people need a revised set of lenses | | | | you want, I have no criticism. |
| every decade after that, few actually get them. | | | | However, I have seen newspapers where the |
| What proportion of you readers are over 40? | | | | spacing used was specified because the publisher |
| Newspapers have tended to use larger text | | | | wanted to match the output to their previous |
| typefaces in recent times, even though modern | | | | phototypesetting system. At the time, that made |
| presses produce type which is clearer than was | | | | sense, because it was likely that a page would be |
| produced when much smaller type was common. | | | | pasted up from columns run on both systems. |
| In those days, acquiring a new typeface was a | | | | The phototypesetting machines have long been |
| major investment. Now we have the choice of | | | | consigned to the back shed but the wide letter |
| the world's typefaces for a few dollars each,a | | | | spacing remains to this day. |
| special purchase will cost under a couple of | | | | Leading must be considered along with type size - |
| hundred dollars for a complete family, and there is | | | | some typefaces need additional leading; others |
| no "wear and tear" on an electronic font. | | | | have interline spacing already built in by the |
| Are you using Times? If you are, then I ask | | | | designer. So, a 9pt type of one face is not the |
| "Why?" | | | | equal of 9pt in another. Not even the distance |
| I hope it is because you have considered others, | | | | from the top an ascender to the bottom of a |
| opting for a serif face because research states | | | | descender will be the same. |
| that it is easier to read in large quantities, and that | | | | You may also consider spacing between |
| you know it was designed as a newspaper | | | | paragraphs - maybe just a point or so will give an |
| typeface. | | | | airy look to the page. |
| But did you know that it was designed for the | | | | Here we enter the area of economics. You will |
| high quality newsprint used by The Times of | | | | want the bottom of each column to align - and |
| London? Or that most major newspapers - even | | | | that takes time whether it is done manually or via |
| The Times itself - opted long ago for faces with | | | | a script or other form of automation. |
| bigger bowls, relatively shorter ascenders and | | | | Consider a column of 50 lines of type which |
| descenders, and better defined serifs. Times fills in | | | | comprises 12 paragraphs in one column, and 14 |
| easily and the fine serifs do not stand up well to | | | | paragraphs in the next. The type size, we shall |
| the multiple processes between artwork and | | | | say, is 9pt on a 10pt body. That totals 500 points |
| press? | | | | in each column and they align neatly. Now |
| It is in widespread use because it is included (with | | | | introduce one point of space between the |
| minor variations) on just about every laser printer | | | | paragraphs, and we have 511 points in one and |
| ever made. | | | | 513 in the other. You must either add space to |
| I asked a number of typographers for their | | | | the first column, or turn a line from the second to |
| recommendations for a newspaper font, to be | | | | the third and add eight points to what remains |
| printed on standard newsprint. Six came up with | | | | (this assumes you can accommodate that |
| nine recommendations. I'll list them all in no | | | | additional 11 points in the first and don't have to |
| particular order: Nimrod, Olympian, Rotation, Times | | | | turn two lines from that). |
| Europa, Calisto, Melior, Stone, Lucida and Lino | | | | The problem is exacerbated by intro paragraphs |
| Letter. | | | | which run in a larger type. So be aware that if |
| While some are categorised as serif fonts, others | | | | you want these aspects of layout (which are |
| are classified by the foundries as "slab serif". All | | | | legitimate and can improve appearance), you may |
| have most aspects in common - wideset, with | | | | be paying for them in additional time taken to |
| good variation between thick and thin strokes, but | | | | produce your pages. |
| with no fine strokes, large bowls to letters such | | | | Some layout programs cope with what is called |
| as e and a and relatively large x-height. X-height is | | | | "vertical justification" better than others. But in all |
| the height of lowercase characters such as x | | | | it is a compromise and the best decision may be |
| which have no descenders or ascenders. | | | | to go for a simple layout that can be produced |
| Some of those fonts you will have to pay full | | | | efficiently. |
| price for, but I've seen Lucida, for example, in | | | | Whatever you decide, make sure the look of |
| collections from Microsoft (though don't get it | | | | your publication is deliberate and that you know |
| confused with some in the same series which | | | | why the body text looks the way it does. |
| were designed for other uses, such as Lucida Fax, | | | | |