Your copy and visual treatments in any printed piece have the potential to make a dramatic difference in how well you communicate your message. The graphic treatment of text is commonly overlooked and often misunderstood. While visuals such as charts, graphs and other images can propel the reader into your copy, graphic treatments of your words work to sustain their interest.

To maximize your effectiveness, consider these simple tips.

1. Choose a Good Font for the Task

In addition to the fonts that come with your PC there are thousands of fonts from which you may choose. When deciding which font to use, keep in mind the final purpose of the document and who the reader is. If, for example, you are designing a newsletter or manual, readability is probably most important.

Fonts that accentuate the ascending or descending parts of a letter tend to be more readable. Most often these are fonts with serifs or embellishments at the end of the letter. Some fonts are generally considered highly readable and therefore suitable for long blocks of copy such as: Times-Roman, Palatino, Schoolbook and Caslon.

For short blocks of copy or ad headlines that run just a few words, readability is less of an issue. Impact or gaining attention is usually more important. In these instances, you can experiment with fonts that fit the "personality" of your message, including those without serifs known as sans serif fonts, such as Arial, Switzerland, Helvetica or Futura. Depending on your message, a specialty font such as Broadway or Balloon may be suitable for your headline.

If your piece is an advertisement or other specialty product designed to get attention and create a specific feeling, use fonts that project the feeling you want. For example, ads for mattresses usually use a script typeface such as Snell Roundhand to invoke a feeling of peace and rest. Broadway is a face used to create a feeling of art and excitement. There's even a font called "Freakshow" that makes people think immediately of Halloween! Remember that display fonts are usually difficult to read and are rarely used in body copy - but are great for headlines and emphasis in advertisements, flyers, posters and other items to grab the reader's attention.

No matter what fonts you choose, keep in mind that the most common type of font used on home and office computers is True Type fonts (.ttf).  We use True Type fonts here at Insty-Prints but you will need to supply the True Type fonts you have used in your document

2. Limit Your Text to Three Fonts

Text is most readable when distractions are kept to a minimum. Each new font is a distraction, forcing the reader to re-acclimate to the letter forms to continue through your message.

For business correspondence, letters and proposals, keep your font selection simple. Stay within the same font family. You might use Times-Roman for body copy, bold Times-Roman for titling sections of copy and italic Times-Roman for emphasis. Computers make it easy to experiment and achieve the special look you want.

3. Lower Case Letters are Easier to Read

People read by recognizing word shapes. Capital letters are all basically square and are therefore less readable. When preparing long blocks of copy, always use lower case letters. All upper case letters can be used for headlines or for titling sections as long as they contain just a few words.

At times, you may want to use upper case letters to add emphasis to a word or short phrase. In those instances, use the SMALL CAPS feature of your program to decrease the font size slightly.

4. Minimize Your Use of Emphasis Methods

There are many ways to add emphasis to a word or phrase. You can use bold or italic fonts, underline, use a different font altogether, or set text in reverse type (see #5). Italic is preferred for most emphasis as other methods are generally less readable.

Occasionally, readability may be less of an issue. For example, in a direct mail letter, you must convey a message to someone who may only scan the copy. Bold or underlined text can draw the reader's eye to your key points. Whatever emphasis method you choose, use it sparingly. Excessive emphasizing confuses the reader and reduces the impact. Limit yourself to one point of emphasis per paragraph and try not to carry it from one line to another.

5. Reverses

Type that is dropped out of a black or colored background produces a reverse image. Using the background to define your image or type in this way can have a dramatic effect. It can call attention to important text or give a whole new look to an otherwise drab image. Keep in mind, however, that large blocks of copy are generally harder to read in reverse type; light or condensed typefaces are not advised for reverses.

6. Pay Attention to Spacing

Most computer programs also allow you to manipulate the space between letters (kerning), between lines (leading) and between words. How you apply these characteristics to your written message will influence how much of your message is actually read and delivered.

Leading creates a line of white space between lines of text that helps the reader track the flow of words. A good rule of thumb is that leading should be 120% of the size of your font. Thus, if you're using a 10 point font, your leading would be 12 point. For extra long lines of text, you can enhance readability by increasing the leading. Lines that are too close together make the reader strain to make out the words. Lines that are too far apart may cause the reader to re-read or skip a line. Of course, when the reader must work to get your message they may tire and stop.

Most desktop publishing programs give you control over the space between letters and words. And most software programs automatically set these spaces to ensure readability. Keep in mind, word shape is the key to readability and excessive space between letters conceals words. Using a similar amount of space between letters and words makes it difficult to determine where one word ends and another begins.

7. Left Justify Blocks of Text

Where you begin each line of new copy influences readability. The flow of your copy is improved when the reader can easily determine where the next line begins. The English language is read from left to right; therefore, text that lines up on the left side of the page (left justified) is the most readable.

You can add a creative flare to your documents by right justifying parts of your text or centering each line. In judging whether or not it's appropriate, consider how easy it is for the reader to discover the next line to be read.

When preparing your document, keep in mind that the readability of your words is usually the overriding concern. By helping the reader identify the shapes of words, minimizing distractions and making it easy to move from line to line of copy, you help ensure all your words will be read.