Font question... working 12x12 but printing 8x8

Discussion in 'Project Life/365/52' started by tkradtke, Nov 15, 2016.

  1. tkradtke

    tkradtke Professional Brainstormer

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    I'm think I'm going to take another stab at DYD this year. To have the best chance for success, I'm going to stick with what I know... working with 12x12 pocket pages. However, I don't really want to print my album this size. What font size on a 12x12 layout do I want to use for the journaling to still be readable when reduced to a 10x10 or 8x8 page? Thanks!
     
  2. AnneofAlamo

    AnneofAlamo Slippers IN sunshine? Even better!

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    well? It depends on the font too..but I usually try and have at least 18 or 24 on my pages to be able to read. Many of my pages begin at 12" (templates) but I print 10x10". Some fonts are a bit smaller too...You can always check by moving to a smaller canvas...and just make it 100% and see?
     
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  3. sm_amber

    sm_amber I learn from the best..

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    When you're viewing your page, zoom until your page (at 12x12) matches a physical ruler held up to your screen at 8 inches, then adjust your font to be legible at that viewing size.. My zoom for that is right around 24-25%.. I hope that makes sense.
     
  4. scrappyjedi

    scrappyjedi Patience you must have, my young padawan

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    If you have a printer, you can print off a quick 8x8 version of your page (even in just plain black and white) to see if the font will be readable or not.

    I've printed 12x12 layouts at 10x10 and even 8x8 using a 12pt font and it was readable for me, but that might not work for everyone.
     
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  5. jk703

    jk703 CEO of Anything and Everything, Everywhere

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    Good idea... and that is me too. I think I just use my normal type from everyday when looking at the screen. Printing an email, would be similar to printing in my books. Sometime, depending on the font, it's a little smaller if the font is big.
     
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  6. bcgal00

    bcgal00 Say, "birdseed!"

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    My problem is usually the other way around, making the font bigger than I need it to be when downsizing so now I take a moment to view the 10x10 (or whatever size I need) on my screen, checking with a ruler to be sure of sizing, and then if I can read it, it's good to go.
     
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  7. bcgal00

    bcgal00 Say, "birdseed!"

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    When printing in a smaller format, when I want to use a small but readable font, I choose one that has a clean look, usually a san-serif font. The type of font makes a difference too on how easily or difficult it is to read it.
     
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  8. tkradtke

    tkradtke Professional Brainstormer

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    Thanks for the input everyone! My journaling is usually 10pt on my 12x12 pages. I've been told that's too small for 12x12 (although it's never bothered me on my printed pages), so I knew it would be tiny on an 8x8 (hoping to take advantage of Shutterfly's free 8x8 coupon when one pops up). I usually try to use a very clean font for journaling, so I think that helps. Thanks again!
     
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  9. LeeAndra

    LeeAndra A total Betty.

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    My journaling is between 12pt and 14pt on my 12x12 pages, and they come out just fine on my printed 8x8s. I can't read 10pt font no matter how big or small the page is! :)
     
  10. bestcee

    bestcee In love with places I've never been to

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    Yep. Font size depends completely on the font!

    I did this too:
    And this has totally helped my font size problems! I used to worry and made them a little too big when printed. Now I can see what it looks like with the ruler trick.
     
  11. Aerobigirl

    Aerobigirl Well-Known Member

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    I've loved reading everyone else's methods.

    I scrapbook using a laptop that's about 8 inches tall and 10 inches wide (give or take). I scrapbook 12x12 using a 14 point font, and I test the readability by using the "fit to screen" option. If I can read my journaling on screen when it's shrunk down so the whole layout is on my screen, I figure it will look fine when I print it.

    The down-side of using a laptop for scrapbooking is that sometimes my shadows look huge once I look at them on a full-sized monitor. I have to remember that if they look "normal" when I'm full-screen on a laptop, they'll look "huge" when viewed actual size.
     
  12. QuiltyMom

    QuiltyMom I'll never run out of things to do!

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    I do the same thing. It's the best way to figure out if you can read the particular font or not. It all depends upon which font you use, too, so there's no specific font size.
     
  13. mollyc

    mollyc PrettyPinkPicturesPlease

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    I usually figure if I can still read the font after I've resized it to fit the TLP web size that it will still be readable when printed. I just kind of wing it.
     

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