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Subject:Re: Readability and point size From:"Daniel G. Dresner" <daniel -dot- dresner -at- NCC -dot- CO -dot- UK> Date:Wed, 15 Jan 1997 09:54:49 +0000
An amusing (?) concept, of which I was informed, some time ago is the
'rule' that people over the age of 40 have difficulty in reading
anything under 12 point. Therefore, and this is NOT me saying this,
anyone over the age of 40 receiving text that is less than 12 point
has to put on their spectacles to read it. You are therefore, by
sending them this 'small' print, also sending them a subliminal
(sic) message that you don't like them.
Whether or not this has any validity, I would not like to comment in
polite company . . . however, I did have a 40+ programmer who
complained that he had to put on his spectacles to read the 10 point
Courier that we used for program extracts. I agreed to increase the
point size if he restricted his lines of code to less than 40
characters!
General point size is a rough guide; I think that x-height is more
telling.
Regards to all . . .
************************************************************
Danny Dresner
Publications/NCC Quality Manager
The National Computing Centre Ltd.
Oxford House, Oxford Road
Manchester M1 7ED, UK
daniel -dot- dresner -at- ncc -dot- co -dot- uk
Tel: +44 (0)161 228 6333 Direct Line: +44 (0)161 242 2352
Fax: +44 (0)161 236 9877 http://www.ncc.co.uk/
"Logic . . . merely allows one to be wrong with authority!"
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