Type Style for User Documentation

[Suzette Seveny <sseveny -at- PETVALU -dot- COM>]

I thought I would try and find a more definitive answer, and looked this up
in a reference book I have on Type Facts.

loose quote .....

In selecting a font for documents, these facts must be taken into
consideration:

1.  Each typeface has a certain personality.  The form and the content must
relate:  the typeface should be congenial to the words.

2.  Consider how your document will be reproduced.  Serif fonts have a
tendency to "break up" during copying.

3.  Other factors need to be considered, such as:
- how big the type is
- how long the lines are
- how much space there is between them
- how big the page is
- how light or dark the paper is
- how the type arrangement reflects the contents
- how much type there is to take in
- how difficcult the language is
- how the text is broken into component segments
- how the information is organized

4. The typefaces we learned to read with are the ones we are used to and
that we therefore find most congenial and comfortable.  The argument about
serifs cannot be resolved: both pro- and anti-serif partisans are right.
 The decision depends on what you need.  Choose what makes most sense.

.. stop quoting

The book also goes on to say that a font size up to 12 points is called a
"text" font, while anything larger is considered a "display" font.

Hope some of this helps!

Suzette Seveny
Markham, Ontario, Canada
sseveny -at- petvalu -dot- com or suzette -at- yesic -dot- com