Adequate font sizes for printed manuals usually are:
▪on small paper sizes: body text from 8.5 points up to 10 points, headings up to 20 points ▪on large paper sizes such as A4 or Letter: body text from 10 points up to 12 points, headings up to 24 points ▪if the manual is likely to be read under difficult conditions: body text up to 14 points Adequate font sizes for online help usually are:
▪10 points or 11 points for body text ▪14 points for headings Other factors that influence font size:
▪In texts that are mainly used for looking up small pieces of information, eye exhaustion can be neglected. So you can use a smaller font size here. Dictionaries are a typical example of this. ▪Also base your decision on the specific font that you’re using. Not all fonts of a given font size actually have the same character size. For example, in one font with a font size of 10 points, letters may be 2.5 mm high, whereas in another font with a font size of 10 points, letters may only be 2.0 mm high. |