What is Font Size? (2024)

FAQs

What do you mean by font size? ›

The font size is a number that indicates how many points are in the height of the text, or high tall the text is in points. A point is 1/72 of an inch, so a 12-point font would be 12/72 of an inch.

A font is often measured in pt (points). Points dictate the height of the lettering. There are approximately 72 (72.272) points in one inch or 2.54 cm. For example, the font size 72 would be about one inch tall, and 36 would be about a half of an inch.

So if you enter a 10 pt font size in Microsoft Word or Adobe InDesign, you define that your font will have a size of 3.53 mm.

16px is the minimum when it comes to desktop browsing, while for mobile browsing, the sizes around 16px will do. Use bigger sizes to increase readability and hierarchy, and make it easier for the reader so they don't get frustrated and leave your website.

Having some weight on the page can rarely appear clunky, rather, larger font sizes can help page hierarchy and stimulate powerful emotions even more effectively too. Designing headlines larger also contributes to how a viewer perceives what's to come on the page, and if they should invest more time reading.

Standard Font Size for Documents

The standard therefore can vary slightly. 12 is the most common standard but some documents fonts may require 14.

Font size. It is best practice to type word documents in font size 14, and no smaller than font size 12, to assist readers with visual impairments. Remember that no one font size will suit everyone.

For printed materials, the optimal point size when choosing a font for print is between 10-12 points, however legibility at this size can vary greatly between different typefaces. Always print out your project at 100% size (without scaling) to determine if the font size is legible for your printed project.

In general, the larger the x height, the easier a font is to read. The lower case letters of fonts with smaller x height sometimes “fill in” visually at smaller sizes.

How do I change my font? ›

In general, do not use anything less than 12 point type for body text. But note that the same point size in different fonts will often produce letters of different sizes (the sans-serif type in this paragraph is 13 point for example). The important thing is the readability.

Some people prefer a serif font, such as Times New Roman, as they say it is easier to read because of the “tails” at the end of the letters that create an illusionary line, helping to guide the eye along the line. However, others prefer a sans serif font, such as Ariel.

The right font size helps to build the interest of the viewer. If it is too difficult to read, your audience may just skip through. On the other hand, if the text is too big, the entire page will look congested and unattractive. Therefore, it is imperative to choose the right size for your text.

Adjust text size and contrast - Text should be three times the smallest size you can read from a normal viewing position, which is about 20-30 inches from your monitor. As for contrast, black print on a white background is usually the best combination for comfortable reading.

“As for fonts, sans serif fonts are best,” recommends Dana. “Older adults and people with low vision have less difficulty processing type faces like Arial or Helvetica. Without the serifs, it's easier to recognize characters. The thing you'll hear the most from older adults, though, is to make the type larger.

Along with Georgia, Helvetica is considered to be one of the most easy to read fonts according to The Next Web. This is a sans-serif font and one of the world's most popular typefaces—a modern classic.

For fonts, setting font-size: 100% will make your text 100% of the base font size set in the browser. Most browsers default to a 16px base font size, so 100% of that would be 16px , and 50% would be 8px .

How do I identify a font? ›

If the font you want to identify is in printed material like a magazine, you can find the name with a scanned image. Once you have a digital image, you can upload the image to a website like WhatTheFont. WhatTheFont 'reads' the font in your image and compares it to thousands it holds in its database.

Anything smaller than 5 pt will be extremely difficult to read, unless it's all capitalized. Even then, 4 pt font is about the smallest you can go. Keep in mind that some typefaces have thinner or lighter font weights, so just because one font is legible in 5 pt doesn't necessarily mean another one will be.

%: 100% is equivalent to the current font size, so 200% is twice as large. ex: 1ex is equivalent to the height of the letter 'x' in the current font.

Keep The Number of Fonts Used At a Minimum

Using more than 3 different fonts makes a website look unstructured and unprofessional. Keep in mind that too many type sizes and styles at once can also wreck any layout.

A font is typically measured in a point (pt) size, which is the vertical measurement of the lettering. There are approximately 72 (72.272) points in one inch or 2.54 cm.

The point size of your text can be smaller than you think. The optimal point size for body text in printed documents is 10–12 point. While courts often require text to be set at 12 point—and sometimes larger—it's not the most comfortable size for reading.

Fonts Tool

Go to Settings > Personalization > Fonts. Windows displays all your fonts already in preview mode.

Open Sans Condensed is a highly legible font commissioned by Google and inspired by its predecessor Droid Sans. Google uses Open Sans on some of its websites and its print and web ads.