Re: What are the best fonts to use

[David Rogers <davidandrewrogers@gmail.com>]

* Cecil Westerhof <cldwesterhof@gmail.com> [2011-03-14 12:44]:

>At the moment I use for my ebook:
>\usetypescript[palatino][texnansi]
>\setupbodyfont[palatino,rm,12pt]
>
>Does not look to bad, but layout is not my forte. So if people have tips
>about the fonts to use, I like to hear them.
>
>Do you use other fonts when using a printed book?


I don't think this question can have one answer. There are many good
answers, depending on the kind of book (or other printed material).

1. I think the layout of the page itself can have a great deal to do
with whether a certain font looks good (e.g. amount of white space,
length of lines, etc). Paying proper attention to the "gross" aspects of
your layout, such as margins and line heights, goes a long way to
improving the appearance of the whole work, and brings out the best in
whichever font you choose.

2. To some extent, different fonts can suit different material (e.g. a
book of poems vs a financial report, or a textbook vs a novel). For
extended reading, the conventional wisdom is to choose a
"normal-looking" font that doesn't call attention to itself too much,
but obviously you also want one that is at least somewhat attractive to
look at.

3. Frankly, giving people what they are already used to is often the
best plan - probably more often than typographers would care to admit.
In my opinion, variation for its own sake is over-rated and over-used.

-- 
David
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