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Subject:RE: Fonts used in print From:Mike West <Mike -dot- West -at- oz -dot- quest -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 13 Dec 2002 13:44:48 +1100
>I see lots of Arial, and Times New Roman,
>as the chosen fonts for such manuals, and
>have always wondered if the real reason for this
>is due to DTP 'default' settings for fonts.
I've never seen Arial in a commercially-produced
book. Are you sure it wasn't some other sans-serif
face, like Helvetica or Univers?
If you are speaking about in-house printed
business publications, then yes, of course, the
software defaults are the main factor.
Apple's first LaserWriter gave the business user
scalable Helvetica and Times-Roman fonts.
(Arial is Microsoft's ripoff--I mean interpretation--of
Helvetica.)
I once read the story of why Apple chose
Times-Roman--a bit of a fluke, as I recall. Anyway,
we're still recovering from the accident.
I'd be careful with Palatino for office documents.
It is delicate and doesn't hold up very well to things
like fax, photocopy, and tired toner cartidges. For high-res
commercial printing, though, it should be fine.
--
Mike W
Melbourne, Australia
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