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Note: From time to time old posts will be resurfaced on the blog. This one is from Sept. 2010.
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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 to 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 it’s best to use sans serif condensed.
The following example is taken to the extreme. You can barely read the 3rd Hello There, written in a sans serif condensed font at 7 pt. However, you certainly can’t read the 2nd Hello There, written in a serif condensed font at 7 pt.
Bold text is difficult to read at small sizes because it tends to fill in the white spaces* in the letters.
While many of us simply italicize labels for water features 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.
*A.k.a. “counters”
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