Font Size for Print

Recommended font sizes for different print contexts with line height and readability guidelines

Select Print Context

Point Size Reference

1 point = 1/72 inch = 0.3528 mm 6pt - Fine print, legal disclaimers 8pt - Footnotes, captions 9pt - Small body text 10pt - Standard body text 11pt - Comfortable reading 12pt - Large print, manuscripts 14pt - Subheadings 18pt - Section headings 24pt - Chapter titles 36pt+ - Display/poster text

Line Height (Leading)

Line height = font size + leading Recommended ratios: - Body text: 1.4x to 1.6x font size - Headings: 1.1x to 1.3x font size - Captions: 1.3x to 1.5x font size - Display: 1.0x to 1.2x font size Example: 10pt text with 1.5x leading = 15pt line height

Font Pairing Suggestions

Serif body + Sans heading: Garamond body + Helvetica headings Times New Roman body + Futura headings Caslon body + Gill Sans headings All-serif (traditional): Minion Pro body + Baskerville headings Sabon body + Didot headings All-sans (modern): Calibri body + Montserrat headings Source Sans body + Roboto headings

Custom Size Calculator

Font Size (pt)

Line Height Ratio

Lines per Page

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