# What's the best font for an ebook?



## Leuco

What font do you think is best? Or what font do you like best? What about size? Do you have a preference?


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## Chilari

I can't say I've ever read an ebook.I guess it depends. If you're expecting people to read it on a Kindle, then the same font as you would use for a print edition would be fine, since the Kindle has a matt finish as akin to paper as they could make it look (though admittedly the closest I've come to using a Kindle is watching the woman next to me on a train once read with one). If you expect people to read on a smartphone, netbook, laptop or desktop, then a sans-serif font such as my personal favourite, Calibri, would be appropriate. Mind you, I use Calibri for everything - novels, notes, essays, my dissertation*; and am happy to read it on screen as on paper. In fact I rather like the clean look to it when printed, double spaced, in assignments.

*Do not talk to me about bees.


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## Ravana

12-point Palatino is what I favor, in terms of what I like to read. 

Times New Roman, Century Schoolbook (or New Century Schoolbook), and Hoefler Text are all attractive and legible, too. Georgia is pretty good overall, but I don't like what it does with numbers; can't remember if any of the others have this problem. In general, you should stick with 12-point… I often find 11-point to be just as good (for Palatino, at least), but that's for my own usage: don't shrink things if you expect someone else to be reading it.

Note, however, that when it comes to submitting texts (assuming you're submitting it to someone, even an e-publisher), the requirements might be very different. Magazines actually prefer equal-space fonts (where every character occupies the same amount of space) rather than proportionally-spaced ones, because it makes it easier for them to figure out how long a text actually _is_… that is, how much space it will take up in their publication. (No, your "word count" doesn't tell them this–and in fact, the word count you get paid for may have nothing to do with how many words are in the text. The old-fashioned "estimate" based on counting the words in ten lines and dividing is more useful for their purposes than what you get from your computer's writing tools.) So no matter what you use while you're working on it, you may be obliged to change it to Courier when you submit it. And submissions should always be in 12-point. Also, the text shouldn't be justified–though the final product probably will be; in most cases, the lines should be double-spaced–though the final product probably won't be. 

Under no circumstances should you use a sans-serif font–such as the one you're reading now. Actually, this one isn't too bad, compared to many… though it still causes me some eyestrain. In writing instructions to students, I tell them that they aren't allowed to use any font that makes two or all three of these look the same:
I, l, 1
And there are quite a few that do. 

Also under no circumstances should you use any "fancy" (for lack of a better word) fonts. You're trying for basic readability here. If you reach the point where you're going for an artistic, atmospheric print publication, then you can start getting into Gothic or calligraphic (or whatever) fonts… even then, what you submit will be in a normal one, and the publisher will change it when it goes to press. 

I should post my complete manuscript guidelines here some day. This was for college students turning in essays, not for people seeking publication, so it doesn't duplicate any publisher's guidelines. The first time I taught a composition class, I thought it was sufficient to say "typed, 12-point font, 1-inch margins, name on every page." Somewhere around the third or fourth term, this had evolved to the point where I was specifying that the essay had to be printed in _black_ ink, on _white_ paper.…


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## Johnny Cosmo

I was using Optima, but have switched to Palatino because of your post. I never liked Times New Roman, but Palatino feels lighter and fresher, so I might stick with it.


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## Telcontar

This is a really good question. Gonna have to file away the various responses for possible future use. 

How do people feel about Ariel? I think about half my work is in Ariel, and half in Times New Roman. I have no idea why I started using Ariel - maybe it just ended up as the default on one of my computers. Before this moment, I've given almost no thought to fonts, save to defend Comic Sans against smarmy hipsters...


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## Johnny Cosmo

I used to use Arial all the time, just for it's clean look.


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## Ravana

Go through your book collection and see how many of _them_ use Arial.… 

I actually put books back on the shelf if they use sans serif fonts. That's how much more difficult I find them to read.


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## Chilari

I dislike Arial. Not as much as I dislike, say, Comic Sans or Papyrus, but it's not a good font. It's ugly, and it's lazy.

For serif fonts, Gentium is quite nice. I don't believe it comes standard. It's similar to Times New Roman, but feels friendlier while maintaining a formal feeling. It is also the best font for Greek letters (which is why I have it - I use Greek letters all the time when discussing inscriptions on pottery and ancient Cretan names for goddesses and whatnot).


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## pskelding

You should check the default settings for the device you are publishing too. If you are publishing to Kindle it forces your font into it's own custom font so it doesn't matter.  You should check the fonts for other devices you are intending to go to. There are many sites that provide the information if you Google it.  I'd also strongly recommend staying away from funky fonts or trying to stand out too much. There are a reason books are printed with the fonts they are.


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## Johnny Cosmo

Oh, I would never do any serious writing with Arial! I just mean it was a default font I stuck to because it looked simple. I don't find any 'standard' fonts particularly hard to read, so I only switch when I feel like a change.


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## HÃ«radÃ¯n

I enjoy 8- to 10-point Trebuchet MS when I'm writing, when it comes to notes in notepad I favor Comic Sans MS at 12-point. when submitting things i change over to a font I despise like Times New Roman or Courier New because that's what publishers want.


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## Dreamer

I have never read an e-book myself, but I would think it would need to be professional and easy to read.  I would think a 12 pt 
font would be a good size to choose.  It is not too small to make someone strain their eyes, nor is it too big to cause someone 
to have to scroll excessively to read just a few lines.  For personal use I tend to like Lucinda or Arial for everyday writing.  It is 
clean and easy to read.  For a more professional approach I tend to use Times New Roman the majority of the time.  You don't 
want to choose a font that takes away from your writing by being distracting or by making the piece look cheap due to a 
childish font.


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## boboratory

For an eBook? People get total control over size, so the size you use is pretty much a non factor if they are using a reader (kindle, iPad, etc.)... people also get their choice of Fonts as well, so as long as you stay pretty middle of the road (personally, I like Bookman Old Style myself) then the user is going to cater it to their preference.

For Screen based PDF's, I stick to size 11 or 12 Bookman Old Style, it has a classic literary feel for me.


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## Leuco

boboratory said:


> For an eBook? People get total control over size, so the size you use is pretty much a non factor if they are using a reader (kindle, iPad, etc.)... people also get their choice of Fonts as well, so as long as you stay pretty middle of the road (personally, I like Bookman Old Style myself) then the user is going to cater it to their preference.



Good to know. Thanks for sharing! One of these days I'm going to get an e-reader. Maybe this summer.


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## myrddin173

I always use times new roman for everything, I just like the way it looks.  It kind of annoys me that it isn't one of the options on my NOOK


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## MichaelSullivan

I assume you are talking about a .pdf where you can specify fonts etc. Any 12-point with a serif is generally the easiest to read. For an ebook to be read on a device (such as Kindle, nook etc) don't ever try to specify the font (i.e. don't hard code a font in the file) although you can do relative commands such as <font size="+2"> to make something larger than normal but never try to specify the point size as it prevents the reader from adjusting it on their own.


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## SeverinR

Chilari said:


> *Do not talk to me about bees.


I am close to Spheksophobia(fear of wasps), but only keep my distance from the bees.
Never stung by a bee, stung by a wasp three different times.



pskelding said:


> You should check the default settings for the device you are publishing too. If you are publishing to Kindle it forces your font into it's own custom font so it doesn't matter.  You should check the fonts for other devices you are intending to go to. There are many sites that provide the information if you Google it.  I'd also strongly recommend staying away from funky fonts or trying to stand out too much. There are a reason books are printed with the fonts they are.


I downloaded my first kindle book from Amazon last night, I didn't think I saw any setting for font.
I did adjust the letter size for ease of reading.  
My favorite thing about Kindle and ereaders. Lets old eyes read without glasses.


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## MichaelSullivan

SeverinR said:


> I downloaded my first kindle book from Amazon last night, I didn't think I saw any setting for font.
> I did adjust the letter size for ease of reading.
> My favorite thing about Kindle and ereaders. Lets old eyes read without glasses.



Ability to adjust font really depends on the device/reading program.  On the Kindle itself you are correct, the font is "set" but you can adjust the size of the font. On the ipad version of the kindle reader you get some additonal options - i.e. you can choose paper color (white, black, or sepia) and adjust brightness, and font size but again no ability to adjust the font type.


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## MichaelSullivan

My wife's Amazon fire arrived yesterday. It allows the reader to pick the font they want - so for this device it is best you don't specify any.


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## Micha Fire

for print version I use Garamond in 11

can I use that for e-book too (ska at smashwords?)


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## PhoenixF2B

I read an article recently that said that Garamond Pro is a good one for default, if not buying other higher end fonts.  I played around with a few and I have to be honest that I really do like the way Garamond looks. What do you guys think?  Either in print or in ebook format.


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## Michael Burke

I just received a notice from Amazon about my ebook: The size of the body text in your book is forced, causing it to be larger or smaller than standard text sizes. They don't bother saying how to correct this! Can anyone help? Thanks in advance


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## pmmg

Since this one popped up on my browsing, I think I will comment on this here.

The question above is not about what font is best to put things in print in, it is about what font to use for those reading off a screen. There are many fonts that are good for screen reading. In the past there used to be five internet friendly fonts, but I am sure that has expanded a bit. Those were Arial, Verdana, Comic Sans, Courier, and Trebuchet. At present, many places use Helvetica for their website designs. Helvetica is what MS is in.

Why do web designers use these fonts?

To be a good web/screen font, the font needs a number of features. One is that it is installed on most PC's that will be viewing it. If one uses a weird font, like Furtura, there is a good chance it is not on other peoples machines and will just show up as Arial when they visit a website.

But there is more to it. Screens introduce problems that print-on-paper does not. And this mostly has to do with the way screens, being in pixels, handles curves and slants. Screens cannot exactly reproduce them. Instead they stairstep them and use shades of grey to simulate them. To one reading, this causes issues with focus and strain. Which is why it is not recommended to use Serif fonts for on-screen reading. Whether you know it or not, when your eyes look at blotchy, uneven fonts on a screen, it cannot focus them. Instead, the human eye starts to strain trying to bring things into focus. Too much of this, and many readers will experience stinging or tired eyes. Not everyone suffers from this, but many do (lucky me, I do). This problem becomes more prominent as one grows older. And thus, any web designer would tell you, there are a set of internet fonts that should be used over others. (And no--glasses made for screen reading do not correct this).

Many people swear by Times New Roman. I dont know why. This is one of the worst fonts ever invented. I think it is because people believe its the font used by the New York Times, and if its good enough for the paper of record, than it is good enough for anyone. News flash, even the New York Times does not use this font, and while many publications have in the past, more and more they are moving onto different fonts (for any interested, the New York Times uses the Georgia font). Serif fonts are fine in print, cause ink can make curves and angles that screens cannot. Times New Roman however does a number things poorly. Among them...Serifs, small openings such as the middle of the letter 'o', the the loop in the letter 'e', uneven line thickness, uneven spacing between letters, its splotchy and uneven in print, and its full of curves and serifs that screens cannot produce.

If you are selecting a font for on-screen reading, and yes, you want one that makes you look professional, Helvetica is widely accepted, and most screens are in Arial already anyway. Calibri, which is now Word's default font is also good for this. I always liked Verdana, but I dont think the public is very familiar with it. Do your readers a favor 

In print, serif fonts are okay, but there are better choices than TNR. Garamound, Gerogia, Merriweather are some that work better.

I know there are many who will swear by TNR, and give it up only after it is beaten out of them. And there are some who will say modern screen resolutions remove these problems, but I swear to you, I will either change the font of your story if I can before reading, or I will pass on you altogether if you are in TNR. And screens are not there yet.

Anyway, some stuff on fonts.


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## Demesnedenoir

I like Baskerville for print, probably a Sherlock Holmes thing, heh heh. But in reality, I will read any "normal" font, including TNR. Fonts just don't phase me, I read pretty much anything as well as another. In fact, it comes as a bit of a shock that people have hard-core preferences LMAO.


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## CupofJoe

The BBC spent £millions developing their *BBC Reith* typeface. It has both serif and sans. It was designed to work from the very smallest screen up to billboard size displays in all styles of font. For me it is one of the best out there. Unfortunately only the BBC and their proxies can use it officially. but you can download it if you want to have a play.


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## Mad Swede

Writing this as someone who is severely dyslexic.

In terms of academic research results, serif fonts work best in print, especially at smaller scales and for long texts. Research suggests that Times New Roman is one of the easiest serif fonts to read at small scales. The peer reviewed and published research on whether serif or sans-serif fonts are best on screen is inconclusive, probably because screen resolutions make it hard to get good results. Research does however show that for short texts which need to be read quickly (e.g. road signs) sans-serif fonts work best.

For me the best serif fonts are the various Times fonts, particularly the modern varieties like Times Classic. Fonts like Garamond are too spindly for me to be able to distinguish the letters properly.


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