At long last, we now have several methods for you to obtain print samples of “The Poynter Fonts: The Readability Series,” the new family of body text faces that was created specifically for optimized readability in newspapers.
But first, a brief explanation of why this is so long in coming. Only recently (spring, ’97) has the final, much-tweaked and much-revised version of the font family been released by the Font Bureau Inc. of Boston, which is handling retailing and distribution. Up to this point, we have been reluctant to do a large-scale distribution of printed samples, knowing that at least some characteristics of the fonts’ design would change, based on input from beta testers, before final release.
Here are the two best ways to obtain printed samples of the fonts:
- Check out the latest issue of the Poynter Report, the (print) newsletter of the Poynter Institute. If you have not received your copy, e-mail the publications department now, including your name and postal address. The fonts are used in the body text for pages 8-11 of this edition of the newsletter. (One note of caution: the Poynter Fonts were designed for best use on newspaper stock; the Poynter newsletter is heavier, brighter stock than newsprint.)
- Call the circulation departments of the Ottawa Citizen (613-829-9100) or the Detroit News (313) 222-2300, and buy a couple of recent issues of the paper. These are two of the largest papers to have formally adopted the fonts so far; a number of other papers are in the process of adopting them. (Editor’s note: I haven’t yet seen Detroit’s results but they report they are quite happy with the change; Ottawa, which uses the fonts in body text from front to back, from bylines to sports agate, is quite beautiful.)
This is the best way to view the fonts, under “live” print conditions. Remember, though the fonts were designed specifically to hold up under a wide gamut of press conditions, results will vary by press.
For more information on retailing or distribution, e-mail the Font Bureau now, or call Harry Parker at 617-423-8773.
We invite you to learn more about how and why Poynter became involved in the academic side of this project on our related web pages.
