What font sizes do you use?

Discussion in 'HTML & Website Design' started by ginostylz, Aug 18, 2004.

  1. #1
    I saw my website on someone elses computer, I have my work cut out for me.
    I have most of my content font as 2(10), and some 10pt was mixed in too. Looking on someone elses browser that had the text size modified to view text larger made some stuff out of place. What is the best font size to use in content? I use an arial font.
     
    ginostylz, Aug 18, 2004 IP
  2. TwisterMc

    TwisterMc Mac Guru

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    #2
    I always do Verdana 11
     
    TwisterMc, Aug 18, 2004 IP
  3. mopacfan

    mopacfan Peon

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    #3
    I've been doing verdana 2 for years.
     
    mopacfan, Aug 18, 2004 IP
  4. giorgioarmani

    giorgioarmani Well-Known Member

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    #4
    A Verdana 10 pt. has been standard for me...
     
    giorgioarmani, Aug 18, 2004 IP
  5. Sorvoja

    Sorvoja Don't hide my ads!

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    #5
    The font size depends of the font used, when using mono spaced fonts I always go lower than when I go with other fonts. With Veranda I could go as low as 8 pt.
     
    Sorvoja, Aug 18, 2004 IP
  6. expat

    expat Stranger from a far land

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    #6
    Verdana or Tahoma 8 - 14
    I use css and additional spacing between letters and words.

    CSS also locks it in - thus changes in view mode have no effect.
    M
     
    expat, Aug 18, 2004 IP
  7. NewComputer

    NewComputer Well-Known Member

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    #7
    Really interesting to hear that most use Verdana. I have recently just started using it. It seems very professional as far as fonts go.
     
    NewComputer, Aug 18, 2004 IP
  8. ginostylz

    ginostylz Well-Known Member

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    #8
    Does anyone do the font size in css?
    font size="2" is how mine has been in the past but in the font tag,
    My css is now { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana }
    How would I do the font size 2 in css?
     
    ginostylz, Aug 18, 2004 IP
  9. Owlcroft

    Owlcroft Peon

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    #9
    I wonder why so many are arrogating to themselves control over the user's viewing experience. Setting font sizes with no knowledge of the user's monitor size, quality, resolution setting, viewing distance, and sheer visual acuity is, to my mind, sheerest folly.

    I take some care in setting my own system's defaults, and that is because they are what I like to see in size, font, color, and so on. Many, I suppose, don't, but it is still unwise to tinker with their settings, owing to the significant number who do care (including especially the visually impaired).

    I am, in general, a big believer in letting the client side manage as much as it is capable of, and that includes most defaults. For for effects, with rare exceptions, I believe strong ly in the "+1" and +-1" approach.

    I happen to like serif fonts. Some as do, some as don't. Why piss off your viewer needlessly?
     
    Owlcroft, Aug 18, 2004 IP
  10. ginostylz

    ginostylz Well-Known Member

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    #10
    I'd like to be flexible so I wanted to have a font size of 2.
    But I don't know how to set it up on my stylesheet.
    Maybe I need to read about EM sizing
     
    ginostylz, Aug 18, 2004 IP
  11. expat

    expat Stranger from a far land

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    #11
    There are the ones that know about computers settings etc. But go into any office or visit 10 people at home ....
    My longtime experience is:
    - contrast brightness huuuh ?....
    - frequency / resolution adjustment huuuh ?....
    - LCD contrast / brighness settings .... didn't know this is possibe.....
    - sighting of vdu nearly 50% in violation of standard health advise / legislation....
    How many people do spend the extra 50-100£/$ to buy a better / brighter / clearer VDU/LCD that really fits the graphics set ?
    How many people go to the enourmous task of checking if new drivers for vdu/lcd are available?....

    Most people have never used IE tools.....

    Caring for visually impaired is much easier with css.

    On redevelopments we generate multiple css which allow upsizing of text elements but proportional.
    The broad method of "view text large" has the "nice" effect of the headline filling one screen....
    Whereas with css one can "lift" up the smaller text elements thus generating a smoother experience rather than filling a screen with garble...

    It is quite a subjective field but here is a link to a fairly old "test" which has a quick explanation of serfiv vrs. sans serif and some interesting results.

    http://www.iastate.edu/~class.12003.engl.313/engl313/resources/fonts.html

    Cheers
    M
     
    expat, Aug 19, 2004 IP
  12. hergo

    hergo Peon

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    #12
    I guess testing before a launch IS important.
     
    hergo, Aug 19, 2004 IP
  13. Lever

    Lever Deep Thought

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    #13
    My personal preference is to set my font-size: in CSS to medium, small, x-small xx-small etc. (every new project over the last year has been done this way)
    Then you can CTRL + CTRL - in FireFox, View>Text size>Larger etc. in IE, zoom in Opera...

    As for font - verdana is good because it was designed for the screen - it's 'softer' than arial for instance and makes for a relaxed read, plus at least you can tell the difference between 1 I and l - one, capital i and lower case L - try that in arial ;)

    Also bear in mind that in the publishing industry there are 'readability' values so something beyond 26-40 words per line (from what I remember) starts getting tiring to read. As an example look at your newspaper - why doesn't every story just span across the page, why are they in fairly narrow columns? Why are books portrait not landscape?

    Then there's contrast - try reading a whole raft of light on dark text...

    etc etc etc
     
    Lever, Aug 19, 2004 IP
  14. Lever

    Lever Deep Thought

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    #14
    Lever, Aug 19, 2004 IP
  15. melfan

    melfan Peon

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    #15
    I use the following font format: font face="trebuchet ms, verdana, tahoma, arial" size=2
     
    melfan, Aug 19, 2004 IP
  16. Owlcroft

    Owlcroft Peon

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    #16
    Despite having what I consider a rather seriously overloaded font palette, very few of those are present on my system.

    Is there any tabulation anywhere of what fonts are commonly available to most users? It seems to me like it's largely a guessing game, with serif, sans serif, and monospaced being about as definite as one can get.
     
    Owlcroft, Aug 20, 2004 IP
  17. Owlcroft

    Owlcroft Peon

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    #17
    Just so.

    But the question arises as to whether such folk are not perhaps more comfortable viewing what they're accustomed to, even if it is "inferior" to a different mode or font.
     
    Owlcroft, Aug 20, 2004 IP
  18. Lever

    Lever Deep Thought

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    #18
    I must admit Owlcroft I've not had the time nor inclination to go and find out so have always stuck with the safe option - my stylesheets usually say
    font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, geneva, sans-serif
    Code (markup):
    that covers any M$ OS and helps out Mac users too :D Of course if it ever came to using a particular font I'd add it the front of the queue just incase somebody had it and could see the nice oriental-styled website in which I'd used the 'Papyrus' font...
     
    Lever, Aug 20, 2004 IP
  19. eye-2i.com

    eye-2i.com Peon

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    #19
    I use verdana 2 or 3 mostly. I like the font as it's easy to speak. I have readers who are aged 13 to 70+ and they say my sites are easy to read.
     
    eye-2i.com, Aug 24, 2004 IP
  20. gm1234

    gm1234 Guest

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    #20
    Verdana and arial fonts are considered the best for online reading. Also 10 to 12 points are the best as far as online reading is concerned. But as far as web usability is concerned the big shots tell not to specify any font size and leave it to the user. I wonder how effective that would be?
     
    gm1234, Aug 24, 2004 IP