Text: sizes and outlines

Text that reads comfortably on screen can turn out hard to read on paper. A few simple rules on sizes, line weights and fonts make all the difference.

Type size

These sizes are for print you hold in your hand. The minimums are readable, but only just; for business cards and flyers go with the recommended sizes.

White text on a dark background

With white lettering, the background ink spreads very slightly into the letters and makes them look thinner. So they need a larger size, and ideally a font with some weight. Avoid very light or thin weights and serif fonts with hairline strokes.

Line weight

Lines, frames and outlines should be at least 0,25 pt thick. Thinner lines may disappear or break up in print.

Fonts to curves

If we don't have your font installed, the software will swap it for another one. To prevent that, convert text to curves (outlines) before sending. Keep a copy with live text for future edits.

Important. Keep a copy of the file with live text before converting to curves. Once converted, the text can no longer be edited.

• Illustrator: select all (Ctrl+A) → Type → Create Outlines (Shift+Ctrl+O).
• CorelDRAW: select the text → Object → Convert to Curves (Ctrl+Q).
• InDesign: fonts are embedded automatically when you export a PDF; to convert fully, select the frame → Type → Create Outlines.

Distance from the edge

Keep all text away from the trim line, at least 3 mm inside. More in Bleed and safe margins.