How to Choose the Right Font Size for Print Projects

Font or typeface is a crucial part in creating a unique and creative print design, but the size of the font can make or break your print project’s overall success. You may have created the most spectacular layout, but if your font size is inaccurate it can ruin hours and hours of work. Problems with font size can range from getting part of the layout cut off in print to not being able to read the text. Here are some simple hints to choosing the right font size for print projects.

Hint #1 Know Your Message: 

Understanding what message you are sending with your print project can help you decide what font size to choose. If you are looking to advertise something a larger font size will be helpful to garner attention. If the print project is information based make sure to have balanced font sizes that allows the reader to follow the text information on the project. Knowing your message can help decide what size of font to use for each specific word or letter. 

Hint #2 Balance: 

When selecting the right font size for a print project having balance in your design is crucial to organize before you send to the printer. This balance includes images, text, and white space in your design. Chunky or too thin font size can create awkward balance in your design that will take away from the overall effectiveness. 

Hint #3 What to Avoid: 

When choosing font size in your design make sure to avoid all caps, bold, or italics unless necessary. By doing this your message could alter in the font size and overall design. Using these effects will also make it more difficult to choose an accurate font size and alter the balance of the layout.  

Hint #4 Use the Preview: 

Always preview the print project layout before you think about clicking that print icon. Most programs will have a print layout preview that will show you the cut off cropping once the layout is printed. By previewing you can view the layout in a different form and it will help see the overall viewing of the font size. Always preview before you print. 

Hint #5 Size Matters: 

Here are the typical font sizes for print projects. These are just guidelines, the best judgment is always a creative eye. Have a friend or colleague double check the layout and critique the design and font size. 

  

12 point font: The go-to regular print text. Used for descriptive text and long form paragraphs.

14-16 point font: This is an enlarged print. Used for bylines or one sentence explainers under a large font headline.

18< point font: Anything larger than 18 point font is a large form font. Used for titles, headlines, and important messages. 

***Remember to always trust the human eye as the best way to choose a quality font size for print projects. Once your font is selected and design is finished, contact expert printers like Modern Litho that can provide advice and resources for masterful printing.