Typophile

Need typeface not too light, not too dark

S.A.M.

Please help me convince a coworker (a marketing guy) that one does not set books in a bolder font. (He wants to please a small percentage of readers who complained that the font was too light or hard to read.) The editors don’t want a font that will increase page count. It’s like a war-zone in the office!

The books are 8.5 x 11, type is set at 9 pts. on 11 pts. leading, Palatino Roman, two columns, 22p0 wide. Some paragraphs are long, but the majority of text is written in bite-sized chunks. I’m reluctant to change the typeface to Palatino Medium or any other typeface with a thicker weight since the paper is thin and text shows through slightly.

What other typefaces have a large x-height, comparable (or better) to Palatino at 9 pts., not too light, not too dark?

Thank you!

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Fisheye

I would buy the complete Mercury Text family. The four grades will offer you four (slightly) different weights that allow you to increase or decrease the weight without changing copyfit. If possible, it would be best to test all four grades on press and choose the best grade for your readers. Mercury is also one of the most legible (and best looking) text faces available.

Hrant H Papazian

There’s actually something to be said for somewhat darkish (although
not what most people would call Bold) text fonts. Look at the work of
Fred Smeijers for some good morena faces.

And if you need something that’s also narrow,
and classical, consider Octavian - of my top favs.

hhp

Nick Shinn

You are cramming too much into the page.
9 on 11, two columns of 22 picas, that’s no good.
3 columns of type that size would be OK for a magazine or newsletter.
In general, two columns for a book is a bad idea, and you certainly need some margin space.
The book page requires a little breathing room.
It’s the density of your layout which makes the type look small.

You will get a more spacious look with a lighter face — try Aldus at 9.5 on 11, it is basically Palatino with longer extenders, and that setting has the same character count.

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