Abstract

Several studies in recent years have demonstrated strong effects of typography on text legibility (Arditi, 1996; Arditi, Cagenello, & Jacobs, 1995; Arditi, Knoblauch, & Grunwald, 1990; Loomis, 1990; Mansfield, Legge, & Bane, 1996; Tinker, 1963). The approach taken in this laboratory has been to assess the effects of typographic variables by comparing legibility of fonts that vary only in the dimension of interest (e.g. stroke width, spacing). While in the past we have used reading speed as a legibility criterion (Arditi et al., 1990; Knoblauch, Arditi, & Szlyk, 1991), our recent work has defined legibility as the smallest letter size that can be effectively read. In the present study we examine the legibility of outline fonts relative to their solid counterparts, under conditions of wide and close spacing.

© 1997 Optical Society of America