When It Comes to Legibility, the Eyes Have It - or Do They?

Xerox Corporation scientists have developed a font so small that you need a magnifying glass to read the words. The new MicroText Specialty Imaging Font, just 1/100th of an inch high, is designed to make valuable documents with personal information such as birth certificates, personal identification papers, and checks even harder to forge. The "dots" in the border next to Jackson's right shoulder on current $20 bills are really the tiny words "The United States of America 20 USA 20 USA." The signature line on some personal checks is actually the super-small words "authorized signature" written over and over on the blank check stock.

The new Xerox font takes advantage of improvements in digital printing technology. The microscopic printing is so fine that when a 100-page book is converted to the MicroText font, it can be printed on an 8.5 x11-inch sheet of paper.

Which leads me to a discussion of type legibility.

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About Frank Romano

Frank Romano has spent over 60 years in the printing and publishing industries. Many know him best as the editor of the International Paper Pocket Pal or from the hundreds of articles he has written for publications from North America and Europe to the Middle East to Asia and Australia. Romano lectures extensively, having addressed virtually every club, association, group, and professional organization at one time or another. He is one of the industry's foremost keynote speakers. He continues to teach courses at RIT and other universities and works with students on unique research projects.