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>Another rule of thumb is to choose a serif typeface for the body text and
>a sans-serif for the headings.
Jan,
Again, we need to clarify (because this has been a confused thread) that in this instance we are talking about print. And, in fact, the "rule" you suggest applies mostly in the US. My understanding--and you're in a better position than I to evaluate this--is that in Europe sans-serifs are generally preferred for body type these days.
In any case, for Web work, I still think serif body types are generally a poor choice.
>(BTW, Optima is not as has previosly been
>claimed, a sans-serif face. It is one of a small numbre of intermediate
>faces that do not have real serifs, but whose strokes vary in thickness,
>which is a feature or true serif faces.)
That's true. It does contrast nicely with Palatino, though, and it is as close to a sans as Zapf has ever designed, I believe [correct choice of tense--it isn't that type designers never die; it's that Hermann Zapf is still alive and working]. So the earlier poster's suggestion wasn't a bad one. The only things I'd say about the Palatino/Optima combination are that (1) it's a bit arty-farty for most technical documentation and (2) it's a rather dated and overused combination, putting you squarely in the avant garde of about 1963.
Dick
>
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