Font

A major change of mine recently is I am using a new default font for my Microsoft Words documents.

It goes like this: Ever since I started using personal computers, I set the default font to Times New Roman 11. The choice is, in a sense, rather natural. When we first install Words, the font is usually set to Times New Roman. This time honoured style is widely used because it appears professional when printed out. The conventional wisdom actually holds that the small projecting features called serifs at the end of strokes of the typeface help guide the eye along the lines in large blocks of text.

I chose size 11 because the original 10 is slightly trying for reading by old consultants and journal editors – two major groups of people who are going to study what I write. Font size 12 is actually preferred by many government organizations (presumably because they are occupied by even more senile people), but I prefer a slightly smaller font size so that my writings appear compact and informative.

You may ask: In that case, why do I want to change? Well, to begin with, it is slightly monotonous to stick to the same font for nearly twenty years. But, there is a more scientific reason.

Let me explain tomorrow.