TEN TYPE COMMANDMENTS:


1) Body text should be between 10 and 12 point.  
   Eleven point is best when printing to a laser 
   printer. Use the same typeface, typesize, 
   and leading for all your body copy. 


2) Use enough leading (or line-spacing). Always 
   add at least 1 or 2 points to the type size. 
   Example: If you're using 10 point type, use 
   12 point leading. 


3) Don't make your lines too short or too long. 
   Optimum size: Over 30 characters and under 
   70 characters. 


4) Make paragraph beginnings clear. Use either 
   an indent or block style for paragraphs. 
   Don't use both. 


5) Use only one space after a period. 


6) Don't justify text unless you have to. If 
   you justify text, use hyphenation. 


7) Don't underline anything, especially not 
   headlines or subheads: rules would separate 
   them from the text with which they belong. 


8) Use italics instead of underlines. 


9) Don't set long blocks of text in italics, 
   bold, or all caps: it will make the copy 
   harder to read. 


10) Leave more space above headlines and 
   subheads than below them. Use subheads 
   liberally to help readers find what they 
   are looking for. 



POPULAR FONT FACES: 

Times Roman =
  Invisible. Honestly, this is so ubiquitous 
  that people don't notice it at all. That's 
  good for some items where you want no 
  distractions from the content, but wrong for 
  others where you want to impart any kind of 
  feeling. If anything, Times Roman leans 
  toward the formal and official. 

Courier = 
  Typewriter type. Actually harder to read 
  than "typeset" faces, so don't even use it 
  for draft copies. 

Helvetica = 
  IRS. Need we say more?

Helvetica Narrow = 
  see above, only narrower.

Century Schoolbook = 
  Just like the name. Dull, but easy to read. 

Bookman =
  Kind of offbeat, casual.

Palatino = 
  Elegant. Formal. The italics are especially 
  beautiful. 

Avante Garde = 
  Modern. Clean. Can be either formal or informal. 
  Great for headings but not the best choice for 
  body text (Futura, which looks similar, is 
  better for body text). 

Zapf Chancery =
  Formal, yet funky. More informal than Palatino 
  italics.