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Mind and Body, April 1923 Book
and Periodical Publishers warned Against Use of Small Type A warning that the extensive use of printing type of smaller dimension than 10-point is becoming a serious factor among the contributory causes of eye-fatigue and impairment of vision is contained in a communication from The National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness to the various associations of book and periodical publishers, advertisers, printers, school boards, libraries and other large users or producers of printed matter. The statement calls attention to the fact that, "the use of type smaller than 10-point, not only has a harmful effect on the eyesight of the reader, but often defeats its own purpose by repelling the potential reader who realizes that the reading of such type hurts or tires the eyes." The amount of money lost by advertisers and publishers through the waste circulation that results from the use of type faces difficult to read because of smallness or design, says The National committee for the Prevention of Blindness, is probably greater than the cost of the extra space and paper stock necessary if larger type is used. Particularly in the case of school books and other publications read by children is the use of small type harmful, the committee says. Reading matter intended for children of any age should never be printed in type smaller than 10-point. The type sizes recommended for children by The National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness follow:
The publishers of geography and history maps are among the most flagrant offenders in this respect, the committee reports. A special effort to induce publishers of school maps to use larger type will be made. A research recently conducted by the Department of Education of the State of Ohio showed that certain styles of 24-point type were more easily read by young children than other styles of 36-point. The ultimate abolition of the use of all 6-point and smaller types of any styles is urged by the committee. Publishers, printers and advertisers who have on hand large stocks of such small types are urged to use them only when their use is unavoidable, and to scrap such type at the earliest opportunity. As an indication of the growing appreciation of the effect of type sizes on eyesight, The National Committee for the Prevention of Blindness reports that at least two public libraries, at St. Louis, Mo., and Springfield, Mass., have set aside departments of "Books for Tired Eyes" in which are included only books of 14 and 18-point type. The books are proving exceedingly popular with older people. Plans are also under way among Bible societies to publish the Book of Psalms in larger type for older readers and similar steps are being considered by the publishers fraternal organization journal read largely by older persons. |