If you are using small caps for your labels (which we should do more of, they look good!), use true-drawn small caps. What this means is avoid using the “small caps” font changer in your software. (In ArcGIS this is found in the Properties dialog, Change Symbol, Properties, Formatted Text, Text Case.) In the following example, the first Hello There is written in 20 pt Fontin Sans Small Caps and the second Hello There is written in 20 pt Fontin Sans Regular with the Small Case option.
If you are creating a lot of labels in a small amount of space, use light or medium weight condensed typefaces. They are built specifically for small spaces in that the white space in each letter is less apt to disappear and the descenders will be shorter. Furthermore, serif condensed is okay for small type, but once you get to about 8 pt or smaller its best to use sans serif condensed. This example is taken to the extreme. You can barely read the 3rd Hello There, written in a sans serif condensed font at 7pt. However, you certainly can’t read the 2nd Hello There, written in a serif condensed font at 7pt.
Bold text is difficult to read at small sizes because it fills in the white spaces in the letters.
While many of us simply italicize labels for waterbodies such as rivers, oceans, and lakes, don’t forget that you can use a typeface that specifically has oblique and reverse oblique lettering for these labels.
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