Font For Ebooks: What Do You Use?

[Kate Anderson]

Hey guys/gals,

I have a quick question for you today.. What is the font, size and spacing that you use when writing your reports and ebooks?

I have been switching between Calibri, Verdana and Courier, but I would love to know what the majority uses (or prefers). I know not everyone has certain fonts (like Calibri) on their machines, so I've included a list of the default/regular ones in my poll.. if you use something else though, please post it in the thread.

Thanks,

Kate

[Zeus66]

Hi Kate,

I like Verdana and good old Arial. I use a font size of 11 or 12. I want it large enough to be easily read by just about anyone, but not so large that it gives any appearance of an attempt to inflate the page count. I hate ebooks that advertise 100 pages, only to find out it was 100 pages of white space and/or huge fonts. Screams amateur.

John

[Steve B]

Hi Kate:

My favorite font is Tahoma, 12 pt. I also like Verdana and have occasionally used Trebuchet. I personally think Verdana is the easiest to read, but it seems to be somewhat "spread out", i.e. it takes more pages to say the same thing than if you used Tahoma.

Great thread.

[Dan C. Rinnert]

I use 14 pt Times New Roman for body copy. I do headers and subheaders in larger sizes in Helvetica Bold.

Onscreen, font size doesn't matter as much, because the reader has some flexibility in adjusting the size on their screen, plus screen sizes vary anyway, so what might be huge on one screen may be small on another.

But, for those that like to print out their eBooks and read them, 14 pt is a comfortable size for a lot of people, even those whose vision is not so sharp. It doesn't meet guidelines for large type (18 pt, sans serif) but it makes for more comfortable reading for those that may not necessarily need large type but still need something a little larger than normal.

And, since typically older users will tend to be the ones wanting to print out eBooks, why not favor them a bit more?

I don't see it as being about padding page count but rather creating a good experience for the reader. While some people may be impressed by page counts, most people buy based on content rather than the number of pages. And, when learning something new, I'd rather people focus on the content rather than struggle to read it.

[Akky]

Boo yeah! Calibri is winning . I voted for Calibri, best font

[Kate Anderson]

I like Calibri as well but not everyone has it on their machine, so while it looks fantastic when I had them the PDF version of the book, when they go to edit it in Word, it's a mess (sometimes with missing letters - I'm told).

[Akky]

My customers have never told anything like that. Maybe I should add a note regarding that next time. Thanks for that Kate!

[Lisa Gergets]

I use Tahoma 12 pt most times...and headlines are usually 16 pt bold.

[Jason Pereira]

Calibri 14-16. Never had any complaints.

I also like Georgia, it's a nice slick font.

[jwlnewsome]

Hi all,
I use Myriad font, must be the designer in me.

[VinnyBock]

Where's Georgia?

Georgia would be my first choice, since that's not there Tahoma...

[Michael Mayo]

Hi Kate,

Here are a few threads about fonts you may find useful.
With which font do you write your ebooks ?

Ebook font size and type?

Ebook font and size?

There a many more if you need them.

Have a Great Day!
Michael

[Jesus Perez]

Arial, Verdana Geogia and Times are all old fonts that are being replaced by Candara, Calibri, Cambria, Corbel and others.

I recommend changing your perspective. Microsoft pumped a lot of money into the creation of the "new" fonts. They improve readability and user experience. If you're still worried, simply use a fallback declaration in your CSS or HTML like "Candara, Verdana, sans-serif" and you'll be fine.

Read more here:

New Vista Fonts & The Web

[Kate Anderson]

I am primarily interested in the fonts people use for ebooks, not web copy, but with CSS or HTML, that's a good tip regarding fallback declaration.

Thanks

Originally Posted by BlueSquares

Arial, Verdana Geogia and Times are all old fonts that are being replaced by Candara, Calibri, Cambria, Corbel and others.

I recommend changing your perspective. Microsoft pumped a lot of money into the creation of the "new" fonts. They improve readability and user experience. If you're still worried, simply use a fallback declaration in your CSS or HTML like "Candara, Verdana, sans-serif" and you'll be fine.

Read more here:

New Vista Fonts & The Web

[Kate Anderson]

Michael,

I actually searched prior to creating my thread.. only came up with one thread with very few responses so thanks for that. (I'm always careful with searching before starting a thread so we're not going "ohhh, not again".. apparently my search skills suck)


@jwlnewsome:

I love Myriad Pro as well, but mainly in designs (makes a great font for small type on banners & headers).. Have never written an ebook with it though.

[Instructor]

So is it frowned upon to use larger fonts say 14 - 16 to give readers with vision problems a better experience or is it best to stick with 11 or 12 and expect them to use the zoom?

[Slin]

I find that 14 font size is the best. I have issues reading smaller font on a computer sometimes.

And I have 20/20 vision and am only 19!

14 is a fine font.

[sylviad]

Any sans serif font is best for online reading, and even offline. That's the one without any fancy curls, like Times Roman is a serif font.

I prefer the look of 10 point Arial, but recently I've learned that my web pages can look very small in other browsers, making 10 point look more like 8 pt. So I'm moving more towards 12 point now.

If you're creating ebooks, remember that Adobe Reader allows you to resize the image, so the font size is irrelevant. You can resize the image to 200% and more, which would be more than adequate for people with visual difficulties.

If it's a pdf file, it is irrelevant whether the person has the font on their machines because the font is embedded right into the pdf file. However, you mention difficulties in Word - so if you are providing people with a Word version of yoru ebook or report, you are better off using a font that is more common and universal - that comes with people's standard computer programs, like Word.

I like the look of Verdana as long as the point size is small for paragraphs. It works fine for large headings, though. The same goes for Tahoma.

That is one of the beauties of PDF books - you can use any fancy font to jazz it up a bit - such as in headings or Drop Caps, without concern for what the person has on their computer. I wouldn't use them for the actual text unless it was to emphasize a small quote or sub-heading or for your signature.

As far as spacing, I like to make wide margins so that the text doesn't look so overwhelming. White space is good and is easier on the eyes than crammed blocks of text. Line spacing depends - but usually 1-1/2 or 2 line spacing.

Sylvia

[sylviad]

It's not so much about right and wrong, but about what is easiest to read.

If the Word template does that, then use it if you like.
If it comes with a set font that is curly, change it to a non-curly one, like Arial rather than Times Roman.

It also depends on the size of your report. Short reports can work okay with small margins and single spaced type, and even curly fonts. Longer reports that take more time to read are best done as suggested.

Keep in mind that people are more concerned about the actual content than how your page looks, as long as it doesn't strain the eyes.

Sylvia

[joshril]

I like Verdana, Tahoma, and Calibri...