EXAMPLE 422-A
Section of text matter from the “Independent”
(Monotype No. 20-A, 9-point on 10-point body, 9¾ set)
Type-faces that are legible and good-looking in twelve-point may prove illegible and ill-looking in eight-point. This is to some extent true of Caslon Oldstyle when printed on calendered surfaces. Such illegibility may be due to the hairlines, which almost disappear in the small sizes.
Commendable letters for periodicals that require small type-faces are the dark-printing kind represented by Century Expanded. Examples [422] and [424] are set in letters of this kind. (See also Examples [422-A] and [424-A] for type matter as actually used.)
As these types have short descenders the text matter is made more legible by separating lines with one-point leads or, in machine composition, by casting a face on a body a point larger (as in Example [424-A], which shows an eight-point face cast on a nine-point body, and in Example [422-A], which shows nine-point on ten-point body).
French Oldstyle (especially Cadmus) is not only fairly legible in small sizes but good-looking. A representative of this style of type will be found in Examples [410] and [411], and is shown actual size in Example [410-A].
Modern or old-style type-faces that are legible when printed on news paper or antique paper are sometimes not so when printed on calendered surfaces. A type-face such as Caslon Oldstyle was designed for printing on dampened paper of an unfinished surface, and it is no wonder that it does not appear at its best in small sizes on calendered paper.
EXAMPLE 417
Box headings are conspicuous on this editorial page
EXAMPLE 419
Excellent typography of an editorial page