Advice on best font to use for PDF

14 years ago

I prefer Tahoma or Verdana at 12 points for the body text. Arial is similar, but the letter "w" comes out looking lighter than the rest of the text in a PDF.

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Anthoni

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill

I prefer Tahoma or Verdana at 12 points for the body text. Arial is similar, but the letter "w" comes out looking lighter than the rest of the text in a PDF.

Yep, I too love either Tahoma or Verdana, depends on what I am writing. Of course for headlines I choose Impact to make them stand out more.

Internet links however are usually in Times New Roman

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dsmpublishing

14 years ago

Hi guys

i love times new roman size 14 and it looks really nice and comes across great in the pdf dont do 1.5 spacing though as people with eye sight problems cant read it at all.

kind regards

sam
X

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danielgb123

14 years ago

My favourite is probably Calibri, I've tried Arial but to me it only really looks good at sizes under 14pt

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Shaun OReilly

14 years ago

Originally Posted by theimdude

I am busy creating a PDF for a client and they intend using it with gotowebinar.

Any suggestions on which is the best font and font size to use?

If the PDF is being read online then use Verdana for the
main body copy.

Why?

Because Verdana was specifically designed to be easily
read off of a computer screen.

If the PDF is to be printed off and read later, then use a
serif font such as Times Roman or Courier for the body
copy.

Why?

Because serif fonts are easier to read from printed matter.

For a PDF within GoToWebinar, I recommend using Verdana
and a decent font size of 12-14 points.

Dedicated to your success,

Shaun

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B.Smit 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Shaun OReilly

Verdana was specifically designed to be easily read off of a computer screen.

[...]

Serif fonts are easier to read from printed matter.

That's a good summary to keep in mind. Deciding on which fonts to use is one of those evergreen Internet publishing concerns - one to which you never seem to get a conclusive answer.

Verdana = computer screen

Serif fonts = printed matter

provides a simple and logical reference to keep in mind.
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Paul Myers

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Shaun OReilly

If the PDF is being read online then use Verdana for the main body copy.

Why?

Because Verdana was specifically designed to be easily read off of a computer screen.

If the PDF is to be printed off and read later, then use a serif font such as Times Roman or Courier for the body copy.

Goiod advice. I'd add one suggestion to this: If you're not sure, or you expect a mixed usage, Georgia is an excellent choice. I wouldn't go below 12 point on that for the body content, and not much (if anything) above it.

Too small and it suffers from the same on-screen problems that Times New Roman has. Much above that and it just adds padding and looks silly in printed form.

Paul

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bertuseng

14 years ago

I use Verdana 12. This is big enough and clear to read. No fancy details etc to distract.

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ButterflyGarden

14 years ago

Any TrueType font will work but historically the sans-serif fonts have been the easiest to read.

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Loren Woirhaye

14 years ago

Gee. I've been running to 16 point. Georgia. On the
assumption most people won't print the PDF.

I usually format for about 10-12 words to a line. That's
something of a publishing standard for readability.

I find reading on a computer fatiguing. Big PDF type
helps because I can sit way back and scroll while I
read. I see a lot of PDFs that are too densely
formatted, imo.

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Damielle 12 years ago

Tahoma and Georgia fonts are great for online reading in general. Tahoma for the headlines and Georgia for the body.

These will be fine as most people never print PDFs
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GoGetta

14 years ago

Calibra for me at 14 or 16 pt!

GoGetta

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craigbrown

14 years ago

+2 on Verdana.

Be aware that unless you actively embed the fonts you're using, that fancy Route 66 font (example) won't come out the same as on your own computer. PDFs substitute for fonts on the reader's computer and/or throw up missing font errors. In my opinion it's best to stick with either...

Arial series
Impact
Times New Roman
Bookman
Verdana
Courier

... just to be sure.

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reapr 14 years ago

Arial 12 point.
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jaffa123

12 years ago

Originally Posted by craigbrown

+2 on Verdana.

Be aware that unless you actively embed the fonts you're using, that fancy Route 66 font (example) won't come out the same as on your own computer. PDFs substitute for fonts on the reader's computer and/or throw up missing font errors. In my opinion it's best to stick with either...

Arial series
Impact
Times New Roman
Bookman
Verdana
Courier

... just to be sure.

Does the same apply if you use google fonts?

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Tinu

13 years ago

It amazes me how often I Google something and end up at the Warrior Forum for the answer. I'm updating a document I assume people will print out because it's 100+ pages. I would have gone with Verdana or Tahoma - now I know better.

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J Bold

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Tinu

It amazes me how often I Google something and end up at the Warrior Forum for the answer. I'm updating a document I assume people will print out because it's 100+ pages. I would have gone with Verdana or Tahoma - now I know better.

Why do you know better, now? You just have more opinions from which to choose, several of which are telling you to go for Verdana.

Here's another vote for Verdana, from me...

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Tinu 13 years ago

Because I didn't know there were fonts that were designed for screen reading while others were designed for print. From what my readers have told me, when my docs go past a certain length, the ones that don't have Kindles print them out. Those folks are in the majority.

That led me to go to Google, knowing to look for that. And from that sprang my own testing.

Sometimes a few well-worded opinions are extremely helpful, even if they aren't necessarily taken as expert opinion.
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- marketonline1 13 years ago
  
  Verdana,Tahoma,Arial fonts look best on the screen
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  Peeps66 13 years ago
  
  For anybody who wants all the latest research on Web fonts, I would type in 'jakob nielsen' into Google or even just type in 'usability' and you will find some of his articles.
  
  He has an array of extremely expensive reports and books for sale.
  
  I did have a list somewhere of what fonts he suggests using for computer screen and for print.
  
  His suggestions for which font to use has changed over the years partly due to the development in screen technology.
  
  Sans-serif fonts have always seemed to be the preferred font for screen based material due to the lack of clarity of the serifs. However, with the increased screen technology and clarity now offered, this is now bit of a grey area!
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  EagleImagery 13 years ago
  
  Another vote for Verdana here.
  
  Most importantly, ensure you choose a font that's found on everyone's machine.
  
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Peeps66

13 years ago

This link should answer all your questions about fonts

WebAIM: Fonts

It is geared towards accessibility. However, usability and accessibility are very much related

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ankur420420

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Peeps66

This link should answer all your questions about fonts

WebAIM: Fonts

It is geared towards accessibility. However, usability and accessibility are very much related

This was a nice read buddy

Anyways, I use Times New Roman and Verdana the most....sometimes Arial too

thanks
Ankur

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stoltingmediagroup

12 years ago

I like these types of responses since everyone has their preferences and will give different opinions here in the WF, however the link you added gives one the opportunity to learn and decide for themselves which font would be most suitable for their project.

Originally Posted by Peeps66

This link should answer all your questions about fonts

WebAIM: Fonts

It is geared towards accessibility. However, usability and accessibility are very much related

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jaffa123 12 years ago

Hi All

I'm new here and wanted to ask your advice on the best fonts for both web and pdf?

I am creating a website and my client would like to use the same fonts online as well in the pdf's she will create as she wants to keep everything the same.

I was wondering if it's possible to use google fonts in pdf's or not? And, if so how do I go about embedding them into the pdf?

Thanks
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Matthewgen

13 years ago

I use Calibri at size 16 for the body text and for the headers and chapters I use Times New Roman at size 24. I write it with mircosoft word than convert it also.

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Peeps66

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Matthewgen

I use Calibri at size 16 for the body text and for the headers and chapters I use Times New Roman at size 24. I write it with mircosoft word than convert it also.

From all the literature I've seen, they tend to suggest using a sans-serif font for headings. The reason being that the serifs are just added extras that don't serve any purpose.

In long lines of text, the serifs to a certain degree draws lines across the page, which aid your eyes when you are reading long lines of text.

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ViserExcizer

13 years ago

my favorite is lucida sans unicode

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Vanessa Rodriguez

13 years ago

Tahoma 12-14 is my staple. I'm not sure why but to me, it seems more fun to read. Not sure if that makes sense. I lose interest in "non-fiction" reading material rather quickly and I can imagine that is not a rare trait. I also think it's relatively easy on most eyes.

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Josh Richardson

13 years ago

I like Helvetica 12/14pt Personally - a very clean and easily legible font

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Kevin Kimes 13 years ago

The prevalence of font display technologies such as ClearType have rendered some of the "specifically designed for screen readability" aspects somewhat moot. However, there are still other reasons to use Verdana and Tahoma, such as "I" vs "l"(L), and character widths.

Verdana is optimized for smaller font settings. If you expect your ebooks to be printed out, then smaller font sizing may be a suboptimal choice.

Originally Posted by Josh Richardson

I like Helvetica 12/14pt Personally - a very clean and easily legible font

I was going to say Helvetica also, until I remembered that most PC users don't have it. Myself included.

I don't know whether using a font in a PDF requires the end user to have the font installed. If not, then Helvetica is indeed a reasonable option.
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- Josh Richardson 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Kevin Kimes
  
  ...
  I was going to say Helvetica also, until I remembered that most PC users don't have it. Myself included.
  
  I would seriously say that downloading OpenOffice, especially if you are writing Ebooks is very worthwhile, even if you are running Windows.
  
  Not only do you get the amazing Helvetica font but you also have the option right in the tool bar to turn your document into a PDF - Instantly!
  
  GOLD
  
  Thanks
  
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KunTaoM

13 years ago

Go with Verdana 12. It's just the better option in my opinion, especially since it's for computers.

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jonatan

12 years ago

I would say that Tahoma, Verdana and Arial fonts looks the best

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WiFi

12 years ago

Size 14 is the best in my personal opinion. 12 too small and 16 too large. 15 in some fonts works okay.

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WiFi

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Latsyrc

12 years ago

Comic Sans.

Totally kidding. I know everyone loves that font so much. Just kidding.

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Will Edwards 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Latsyrc

Comic Sans.

Totally kidding. I know everyone loves that font so much. Just kidding.

What about Matisse?

Will
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BridgetSielicki

12 years ago

Here's another vote for Verdana. I think size 12 reads easiest.

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noobie

12 years ago

Finding the right font can be confusing so it is probably a good idea to read through the posts and many good suggestions made here. Make notes and try each font to see how they would look in your ebook.

Make your headlines and sub-heads larger and heavier than the body text and make sure your body text is large enough to be read comfortably.

However, there are so many different fonts to choose from, you are probably doing yourself a disservice by not investigating the many variants. I know that there are several thousand, but, choosing that one special font that could be head-and-shoulders above the rest and could well make your book, and particularly your cover, stand out from the others.

That last comment about the cover is particularly important for your ebook to help it stand out from so much competition it will find on the internet.

Then, once you have decided on your font, you can begin worrying about other things like relevance, impact, and alignment. :-)

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savvybizbuilder

12 years ago

I like Arial and Tahoma. sized 12 and 14

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Richy Burns

12 years ago

I use 14 point calibri. However all the below mentioned fonts are acceptable and shouldnt affect you client in any way

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edwinms

12 years ago

nice one guys.. this is good information for everyone..

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matus37 12 years ago

I use Times New Roman style
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Bojan_Djordjevic

12 years ago

Did anyone try Palatino font?

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Alex Kage

12 years ago

I think Georgia Font is good. I think Eben Pagan said the same thing.

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BOBBYDEMAN

12 years ago

Tahoma or Verdana are my favorites to use I also like Palatino depending on the contents subject

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mojojuju

12 years ago

I like to use Wingdings.

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clarest 12 years ago

Sometimes I like to use Lucinda Sans just to take a break from Verdana, Tahoma,...:p
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themetribe

12 years ago

use google fonts

or check out myriad pro

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Devin2290

12 years ago

Tahoma and Verdana are the easiest to read on a computer screen. So, generally, I would use those.
However, uniqueness can be powerful. Experiment with other fonts and sizes, and even mix up fonts between titles and bodies, until you find something easy to read and very stylish.

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BlackWar

Banned 12 years ago

Already you've gotten my answer, Verdana 14, Arial 12 fonts look best on the screen. Tahoma is not my choice.

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jmel570

12 years ago

Tahoma and Arial are my choice fonts. Dont make the size too large or flashy that make it appear as a scam.

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jhonybravo222

12 years ago

I would recommend you Times New Roman with font size 11or 12 and for Headings 14.

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meccabiz 12 years ago

Tahoma is a friendly font that is commonly used and is my favorite for reports, and especially for writing effective sales copy.
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SocialMarketerX

12 years ago

Calibra 16pt

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inazuman

12 years ago

Helvetica regural size 12 or Verdana would be great

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Advice on best font to use for PDF

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