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#lang pollen
◊ ( define - meta title "system fonts" )
◊ hanging - topic [ ( topic - from - metas metas ) ] { Avoid if you can , choose wisely if you can ' t }
As professional writers , lawyers ought to rely on professional fonts . They ’ re the quickest and easiest way to upgrade your typography . More about that in ◊ xref { font recommendations } .
But professional fonts aren ’ t always an option . Certain projects demand ◊ em { system fonts } , which are the fonts already installed on your computer . In printed documents , they present three problems .
◊ numbered - list {
◊ em { Many system fonts aren ’ t good } . The Windows and Mac OS libraries have improved , but they ’ re still minefields of awful fonts . I won ’ t name names , but my least favorite rhymes with Barial .
◊ margin - note { Moreover , fonts
like Georgia were optimized for the
coarse monochrome screens of the 1990 s . As we shift into the
age of high - resolution color screens , these fonts have a declining
comparative advantage . }
◊ em { Many system fonts have been optimized for the screen , not print } . This comes at the cost of design details , which have been sanded off because they don ’ t reproduce well on screen . Screen - optimized fonts look clunky on the printed page .
◊ indented { ◊ image [ #:border #f "georgia-miller-comparison.svg"]}
Compare the two fonts above . In basic appearance , they ’ re sim - ilar . But Georgia was optimized for the screen ; Miller was opti - mized for print . See the difference ?
◊ em { All system fonts are overexposed } . Because these fonts are included with billions of computers , they ’ re used all the time . Not every typography project demands novelty . But if yours does , look elsewhere . For instance , please don ’ t adopt the slogan “ A Law Firm Unlike Any Other ” and then set it in Helvetica .
}
If you ’ re limited to system fonts , consult this chart and choose wisely . For print , the A list is best . For screen display , like presentations and websites , the A and B lists are fine . They ’ re also suitable for sharing draft documents . Avoid the C list if you can . F list , kapu .