🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <oneil.714012630@cwis> oneil@cwis.unomaha.edu (Sharon O'Neil) writes:
>dhosek@hmcvax.claremont.edu writes:
>
>>In article <4811@dove.nist.gov>, gilligan@bldrdoc.gov (Jonathan Gilligan 303-497-3861) writes:
>>> In article <oneil.713599413@cwis> oneil@cwis.unomaha.edu (Sharon O'Neil) writes:
>>>>For most purposes, one would want to use a 12 point type anyway.  In my
>>>>opinion, even 10 is a bit small for most purposes because it is somewhat
>>>>difficult to read.
>> 
>>> But if your principle text is set in 12 point, then super and
>>> subscripts will be set at a smaller size (typically 9 pt or so), as
>>> will footnotes. Super and subscripts in footnotes will be set at a
>>> smaller size (about 6 pt). Since I do a lot of technical typesetting
>>> (lots of equations), a document set with 12 pt type for the principal
>>> face will contain lots of 9 pt and 6 pt type, so it's necessary to
>>> have good-looking type at far smaller sizes than I use for the main
>>> text.
>
>First of all, I rarely, if ever, have the need to use superscripts or 
>subscripts.  (I generally use the MLA format for writing papers, which
>eliminates the need for footnotes.  I cite author and page parenthetically.
>
>>To further muddy the waters, I would claim that other than
>>single-column printing on US Letter paper or A4, 12 pt is
>>distinctly too large for most text applications.
>
>For most of my purposes, 12 point is just about right.  I almost never
>have the need for a font smaller than that.  I have just about perfect
>vision and I think that an 8 or 10 point letter looks like you're trying
>to cram something on the page.  (For word-processed or desktop published
>documents.)
>
>>On the other
>>hand, with most of the piece-of-crud editing facilities provided
>>by WYSIWYG systems, anything smaller than 12pt is distinctly
>>illegible on-screen (gosh, what a surprise, the typography for
>>on-screen viewing at 70-100dpi is different than that for
>>printing at 300+dpi!) so perhaps that's the driving force. Sigh.
>>Anyway, you'll be hard pressed to find many books aimed at adult
>>readers typeset entirely in 12pt and larger.
>
>A book is /not/ the same as a word-processed or desktop-published
>document.  
>
>Sharon O'Neil
>oneil@cwis.unomaha.edu
>
>


Why is this discussion limited to even point sizes?  I once read an
article in one of the desktop publishing magazines that pointed out
that much printed material is done in 11 point, which some studies
revealed is appropriate for most people.  Since then I've done almost
all my printed material in 11 point, and have found it comfortable.

Paul Hardiman
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
hardiman@csd4.csd.uwm.edu