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Large-print (also large-type or large-font) refers to the formatting of a book or other text document in which the
typeface A typeface (or font family) is the design of lettering that can include variations in size, weight (e.g. bold), slope (e.g. italic), width (e.g. condensed), and so on. Each of these variations of the typeface is a font. There are thousands o ...
(or
font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a " sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design. In mo ...
) are considerably larger than usual to accommodate people who have
low vision Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...
. Frequently the
medium Medium may refer to: Science and technology Aviation * Medium bomber, a class of war plane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Communication * Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data * Medium ...
is also increased in size to accommodate the larger text. Special-needs libraries and many public libraries will stock large-print versions of books, along with versions written in
Braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displ ...
. The font size for large print is typically at least 18 points in size, equivalent to 24px for a web CSS font size. Different sizes are made to suit different visual needs, with a common rule of thumb to be at least twice the minimum acuity size.


Publishing standards

The American National Association for Visually Handicapped (NAVH) provides the NAVH Seal of Approval to commercial publishers in the US, for books that meet their large print standards. ( Lighthouse International acquired NAVH in 2010.) The standards call for: * Maximum limits on size, thickness, and weight * Minimum limits on margins * Type size at least 14 point, preferably 18 point * Sans serif or modified serif font recommended * Adequate letter and word spacing * Flexible binding recommended to allow open book to lie flat


Additional guidelines

The American Publishing House for the Blind defines font sizes as: * 12 pt. = regular print * 14-16 pt. = "enlarged" print (not considered large print) * 18 and larger = large print * 18 and larger, with other formatting changes = enhanced print In addition to enlarging type size, page layout and font characteristics can have a positive effect on readability. Fonts designed for
legibility Legibility is the ease with which a reader can decode symbols. In addition to written language, it can also refer to behaviour or architecture, for example. From the perspective of communication research, it can be described as a measure of the p ...
make it easier to distinguish one character from another. Some characteristics of such fonts are: Here are the primary things to think about when selecting a font for use by persons with low vision: * The upper case "I" and Roman numeral "I", the numeral "1", and the lower case "l" should all look different from one another. * The font should be wide-bodied with space between each letter. * Letters which have a "bubble" inside them (known as a counter, such as o, d, g, e), should have ample space inside the counter. * Punctuation should be rounded, large, and very visible. * Font strokes should be solid and without gaps. Examples of more-easily read fonts are
Antique Olive Antique Olive is a humanist sans-serif typeface ("antique" being equivalent to sans-serif in French typographic conventions). Along the lines of Gill Sans, it was designed in the early 1960s by French typographer Roger Excoffon, an art director a ...
, Tahoma,
Tiresias In Greek mythology, Tiresias (; grc, Τειρεσίας, Teiresías) was a blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes, famous for clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was the son of the shepherd Everes and the nym ...
, and
Verdana Verdana is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Matthew Carter for Microsoft Corporation, with hand-hinting done by Thomas Rickner, then at Monotype. Demand for such a typeface was recognized by Virginia Howlett of Microsoft's typograph ...
.


Ratios

Companies offering the large-print formatting uses diverse formats (also called ratios) to support the larger
font size In typography, the point is the smallest unit of measure. It is used for measuring font size, leading, and other items on a printed page. The size of the point has varied throughout printing's history. Since the 18th century, the size of a po ...
. Among these ratios, we find: * Ratio 1:1, the content is enlarged on a single (1) portrait page and the common typological size is 18 points. * Ratio 1:2, the content is enlarged on two (2) landscape page and the common typological size is 18 points. * Custom ratios, the content is enlarged on multiple landscape pages and the common typological size is 28 points.


History

Among the first large print book publishers, the Clear Type Publishing Company published a collection of books in 36 point type, circa 1910. The Ohio-based company specialized in large print, publishing books in 36pt and 24pt. In 1914 Robert Irwin produced a series of textbooks in 36 point, for low-vision children in Cleveland, Ohio schools. This type proved to be too large and was soon abandoned for the more popular 24 point. Research sponsored by Irwin in 1919 indicated 24 point type to be the most readable of the sizes evaluated. Further research by others in 1952 and 1959 supported 18 point or 24 point type. In the UK in 1964, Frederick Thorpe began publishing standard print titles with type approximately twice the size of the original printing. The books were given plain dust jackets, color-coded to indicate categories like mysteries (black), general fiction (red), romances (blue), Westerns (orange), etc. These physically large editions were reported to be difficult for some readers to handle. In 1969, Thorpe's company, Ulverscroft, began producing the books in 16 point type and normal-sized bindings, which the company claims increased the acceptance of large print in public libraries. 16 point type is smaller than the minimum recommended by the American Council of the Blind, which recommends 20 point, with 18 point as a suggested minimum. In 2008 the W3.org released the WCAG 2.0 web accessibility standards, which define large text as 18pt, which is 24px in CSS. Further, the standard specifies that users must be able to increase the font size 200% without breaking content. Today large print editions of some current books are published simultaneously with regular print editions by their publishers and usually feature the same full-color jackets and jacket design. Public libraries often have large print sections, and many bookstores carry some large print editions.


Recent developments

Since 2005, some companies have begun offering a variety of font sizes for large print books.


See also

*
Accessible publishing Accessible publishing is an approach to publishing and book design whereby books and other texts are made available in alternative formats designed to aid or replace the reading process. It is particularly relevant for people who are blind, visu ...
*
Legibility Legibility is the ease with which a reader can decode symbols. In addition to written language, it can also refer to behaviour or architecture, for example. From the perspective of communication research, it can be described as a measure of the p ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Large-Print Blindness Typography