Picking the Perfect Font – How Do You Do It?

When it comes to printing the perfect document, you just can’t do it without the perfect font.  After all, if your words are hard to read, no one is ever going to get your message.

But with hundreds of different fonts out there, how do you possible narrow down the list and pick the perfect font?  By getting some knowledge!  The more you know about fonts, the easier it will be for you to select one that perfectly showcases your business.

There are 3 different types of fonts to choose from:

 Display fonts

Used for headlines, display fonts are designed to give your document personality.  Because they are only used for big, bold headlines, you can afford to use a display font that’s a little more off-the-wall.  Just make sure that it looks good in a bigger size; some fonts do not lend well to being blown up and bolded.
A good display font will contrast with the font you use in the body of your document.  And, if you pick a display font that’s very ornate, you will need to print it in a very large size.  Otherwise, it will be too tough to read.

 Text fonts

Used for the main body of your document, text fonts need to be more traditional than display fonts.  Text fonts come in 2 varieties:

  • Serif fonts, which have tiny little extra strokes at the end of each letter, like with Times New Roman.  Some serifs are much more pronounced than others; it all depends on the specific font.  Most newspapers and magazines use serif fonts because the extra strokes help readers “glide” from one letter to the next.  Each stroke actually points to the next letter!
  • Sans serif fonts, which do not have extra strokes.  Arial is an example of a sans serif font.

When it comes to serif and sans serif fonts, there is no single “right” choice.  It all depends on what looks best for your business.

Script fonts

Used for more casual documents, script fonts are designed to look like handwriting instead of printed text.  Script fonts have varied and fluid strokes.   Script fonts work best when you want to give a personal touch to your documents.  They demonstrate playfulness, cheerfulness, and a casual tone.  Script fonts would be a terrible choice for something formal – like a business letter – but they are a perfect pick for tons of different documents – like greeting cards, party invitations, and flyers that you want to look casual.