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Robert Bringhurst has sprinkled good thoughts about using fonts online and in print,
in his magnum opus: _The Elements of Typographical Style_ (Hartley & Marks).
He explains in much detail the reasons for serifs, and the various hybrids
other than serif/non-serif.
For a quicker, practical survey, there's always the good ol'
_Non-Designer's Design Book_ by Robin Williams (Peachpit Press).
Adobe and other font houses (I like the non-TW fonts produced by P22 at http://www.p22.com/) all offer info about the legibility of their fonts.
Even Microsoft offers info about Verdana, Tahoma and other fonts that were created
for the purpose of online legibility.
Regards,
YJ
Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca> a écrit :
Mary Elaine Lora wondered: <(1) printed documentation and (2) online documentation (i.e., PDF
files)? Can you give me links to authoritative articles on the
readability of serif vs sans-serif?>>
The prevailing consensus is that serif is better for paper and sans
serif is better for onscreen, but the reality is far more complex.
For instance, a lousy (low-legibility) font is a lousy font,
irrespective of whether it has or lacks serifs. And even a superbly
legible font can be undermined if you use lousy typography (poor
choice of color, contrast, size, kerning, leading, line width, etc.).
Moreover, pretty much any typeface designed for reading (as opposed
to display type) will work acceptably in both media if you understand
the basics of typography. So you won't find any authoritative easy
answer to your question.
All that I've read on this issue (for many, many years) suggests that
all else being equal (i.e., assuming you've chosen a font designed to
be legible), familiarity with a font is probably more important than
the serif vs. sans serif issue. Karen Schriver is one of the leading
lights who has studied this subject, and who has intensively reviewed
the research literature on the subject for the past 20 years or so,
and she has some interesting things to say on the topic. Based on her
work, I can provide a simplistic answer to your question: "onscreen,
people tend to prefer sans serif type, but it doesn't offer any
significant advantages for reading". But more importantly, if you're
producing online information, why not let the readers choose the
fonts? Preferences vary enormously, so why lock someone into your
preference?
----------------------------------------------------
-- Geoff Hart
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
www.geoff-hart.com
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