One of the most difficult things is to layout type in such a way that it is most readable and attractive. Most typographers and graphic designers have had years of visual experience that allows them to chose the most attractive and readable font sizes, widths, and line lengths intuitively. Even with comparable experience, however, doing this on the web can still be a challenge. Chris Pearson of Pearsonified has designed a calculator that uses your type size and the required width in pixels to calculate the optimized setting, the best font size for your width, the second best size for your width, and the optimal width for type size.
It also calculates optimum line-height — the spacing between lines of type and the estimated number of characters per line. These are major factors in designing for readability. A smaller type with more space between lines is more legible than a larger type set too closely. Most word processing programs set type too closely, and letters too closely as well.
Golden Ratio Typography Calculator
Highly recommended.
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