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Font Use

Font Use

(OP)
This is related to report writing.

Which font styles are typically prefered when writing reports?  I prefer Sans Serif over Serif.  I find reading Arial easier on the eyes compared to Times New Roman.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Font Use

I'm an Arial guy myself, unless I need fixed width, in which case I use Courier.  I keep the Courier use to an absolute minimum.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

RE: Font Use

I agree with CajunCenturion. Much of my writing forms parts of engineering software and software engeering manuals.  This requires code snippets, so fixed-pitch is a must sometimes.  And the distinction between Arial and Courier is works really well in this context.

RE: Font Use

I recall having Serif and Sans Serif fonts in my older computers.  My current Windows XP and MS Office Pro 2003 apparently didn't install these fonts.

I use Arial for most of my work, including engineering reports and spreadsheet.  I change to Times New Roman in smaller fonts (10 or 8) for printing for proofreading purposes to save paper.

RE: Font Use

Verdana. An Ariel/Helvetica with a slightly better look.

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org

RE: Font Use

I do the same as CajunCenturion.

Chris, Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP3.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

RE: Font Use

zeusfaber (Military)
I'm told that sans serif fonts like Arial are less difficult for sufferers of dyslexia than serifed fonts like Times and Courier.

A.

RE: Font Use

Wingdings anyone?

Wheels within wheels / In a spiral array
A pattern so grand / And complex
Time after time / We lose sight of the way
Our causes can't see / Their effects.

RE: Font Use

I'm unreasonably old-fashioned.  Sans-serif fonts just don't look professional to me.  I *know* they're easier to read, etc...I just can't help it.  Just can't bring myself to let go of Times New Roman.  (I do use Arial for PowerPoint though.)

Our official house style is supposed to be Arial for letters, but all but the highest levels have stuck with Times New Roman instead.

Hg

Eng-Tips guidelines:  FAQ731-376

RE: Font Use

I don't have a choice as the font style, along with a lot of other things, is dictated to us from above. However, I'm perfectly happy with Times New Roman, it's not something I've thought about much.

RE: Font Use

I prefer to use “Tahoma” myself for personal letters, Times New Roman for reports and Business.

RE: Font Use

Arial, 10pt, 1.5 line spacing, for mine.

RE: Font Use

I use Palatino. I find serif fonts to be easier to read. It seems like most books are set with serif fonts. Perhaps that's why I find it easier to read -- it's what I'm most accustomed to.

--------------------
Bring back the HP-15
www.hp15c.org
--------------------

RE: Font Use

I was taught that Times New Roman was easier to read in printed form, i.e., reports, papers, letters, etc.  For presentations, however, I was taught to use Arial or Helvetica.

RE: Font Use

Quick test - go to your nearest bookshelf, and pick any book out at random.(Choose a novel - something that is meant to be "read" rather than "browsed".) Now, go and check out today's newspaper.

What typeface are they set in? Is it serif or sans serif?

London to a brick, they are set in a serif font (generally resembling "Times New Roman"). Sans serif fonts (like "Arial") are probably restricted to chapter headings, picture captions etc.

Why? Quite simply, the serifs help the brain distinguish between similar letter and word forms without requiring so much of a conscious act of interpretation. In short, classic serif fonts are generally more "readable" than sans serif fonts when being used for more than brief periods.

When design and visual image is important, and where extended reading sessions are not envisaged, then a clean, crisp modern style like Arial may be the most suitable. But if you are publishing the latest 700-page blockbuster airport novel, you probably want to stay with a Times New Roman style font.

(There is some evidence that readers find whichever font type they are most familiar with as being the most "readable". As there is noways increasing usage of sans serif fonts (like Arial), it is possible that "readability" scores of various fonts may tend to change. When you start seeing Tom Clancy novels come out in a sans serif font, you will know the critical mass has been achieved!)

RE: Font Use

Try MS Dialog.

RE: Font Use

Book Antiqua is my favorite.  It has a smaller serif than Times NR, and looks slightly cleaner at the same size.

When doing specifications (not reports), I'm told to use New Courier.  Personally, I feel it's a waste of paper and more difficult to read.

RE: Font Use

General rule:
Serif fonts for paper media
Sans-serif for screen

as seen in most design guides.

Good Luck
johnwm
________________________________________________________
To get the best from these forums read FAQ731-376 before posting

Steam Engine enthusiasts: www.essexsteam.co.uk

RE: Font Use

I ususally use Arial myself, although I like that Verdana font that skogsgurra mentioned.  A little too big in 12pt however.

analogkid - could you be any more obvious about being a Rush fan?  ;)

Tide after tide / Will flow and recede
Leaving life to go on as it was...

RE: Font Use

DReimer,

I use Verdana 11 for headlines and 10 for text.

Sometimes (quite often) I have introductory remarks in italics.

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org

RE: Font Use

I'm with JulianHardy on this one.

The only time I've found readability to be a real issue is in low lighting or if the paper is somewhat "off square" (eg sideways or rotated so the text is upside down), or if the text is very small.  In those cases, the "tails" on the serif font are a great help in leading the eye in the right direction (serif is French for tail).

Bung
Life is non-linear...

RE: Font Use

Thinking of serifs as tails is a useful device, or at least a fun one. However, the French word for "tail" is "queue". Although "serif" is indeed a French word, it has the same meaning in French as it does in English.

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