The latest model of iPhone has a screen resolution of 960 x 640 pixels. Plus, now you have to consider how your site or email will look on handheld devices, such as the BlackBerry and iPhone. This makes serif fonts more legible but still generally not as easy to read as sans-serif fonts. Screen resolution has increased through the years (resolutions of 1024 x 768 pixels or greater have become the norm). The more pixels, the more details of the font you can display.īack 10 or so years ago, the best computer screen resolution was 800 x 600 pixels – which wasn’t great for defining the intricacies of a serif font. In order to make the little serifs appear legible, a high degree of resolution is required. Now, one might assume that what works on the printed page will be similar to what works on the computer screen. Here are the print font preferences of three of the copywriting greats: 1) advertising great John Caples liked using Cheltenham Bold for headlines 2) advertising legend David Ogilvy preferred the Century family, Caslon, Baskerville, and Jenson and 3) direct marketing guru Gary Halbert used Courier in his sales letters. So, if you're sending out a sales letter or brochure in the mail, you probably want to use serif font (but, as mentioned in the first point, you could use sans-serif font for your headlines). The conclusion being that serif fonts are easier to read when it comes to fonts on paper. In a test of three different fonts, two serifs (Garamond and Times New Roman) and one sans serif (Helvetica), he found 66 percent were able to comprehend Garamond 31.5 percent Times New Roman, and 12.5 percent Helvetica (out of a total of 1,010,000 people surveyed). Those who read the sans-serif version said they had a tough time reading the text and 'continually had to backtrack to regain comprehension.' In his book Cashvertising, Drew Eric Whitman cites a 1986 study of fonts (printed on paper) that found only 12 percent of participants effectively comprehended a paragraph set in sans-serif type versus 67 percent who were given a version set in serif typeface. Some popular San Serif fonts are Helvetica, Arial, Calibri, Century Gothic and Verdana. It's been said that serif fonts are for 'readability,' while sans-serif fonts are for 'legibility.' Which is why, in print, sans-serif fonts are often used as the headline font and serif fonts are used for the body text. One of the reasons for their lack of popularity was that typographers stuck with serif fonts because they felt they were easier to read. While some sources say sans-serif fonts have existed since the 5th century BC, it wasn't until the 1920s that they became somewhat popular – mostly being used in advertisements. The idea being that the serifs actually make the letters flow together – and subsequently easier on the eyes.Īs the name states, 'sans serif' fonts are fonts without serifs. It's popularly accepted that – in print – serif fonts are easier to read. Nearly all books, newspapers, and magazines use a serif font. Popular serif fonts are Times New Roman, Palatino, Georgia, Courier, Bookman and Garamond. Serif fonts have little feet and embellishments on the tip and base of each letter, making them more distinct and recognizable.

Let’s start with: The difference between 'serif' and 'sans serif' fonts To help you, I did some research into the best fonts to use for print, online, and email.

So, as a copywriter, it just makes sense to make sure the font you or your clients use is one that doesn't hinder sales in any way.

If you rely on words to sell, that should concern you deeply.'īlow away 75 percent of your readers! If you're the copywriter who wrote the copy for that site, it's a surefire way to go from copywriting hero to copywriting zero. In fact, Colin Wheildon, author of Type & Layout: Are You Communicating or Just Making Pretty Shapes?, says: 'It's possible to blow away three-quarters of our readers simply by choosing the wrong type. Have you ever visited a website that seemed to contain the information you were looking for – but you found yourself clicking on the 'back' button of your browser simply because …įor the owner of that website, I represent an opportunity lost – one less person who will potentially click on one of their ads or buy one of their products. The Best Fonts to Use in Print, Online, and Email

Verdana bold font recommend size