#lang pollen

◊(define-meta title "point size")
◊hanging-topic[(topic-from-metas metas)]{Smaller on paper; bigger on screen}


The ◊em{point size} of your text can be smaller than you think. The optimal point size for ◊xref{body text} in printed documents is 10–12 point.

While courts often require text to be set at 12 point — and sometimes larger — it’s not the most comfortable size for reading. If you compare a court filing with the average book, newspaper, or magazine, you’ll notice that the text in the filing is larger.

◊(omission)

It’s very difficult to find a professionally designed book, newspaper, or magazine with 12-point body text. One major reason is cost — bigger point sizes require more paper.

But I can’t guarantee 12 point will always look too big. That’s because the point-size system is not absolute — different fonts set at the same point size won’t necessarily appear the same on the page.

That means you need to let your eyes be the judge. Don’t just rely on the point size.