Everyone who uses a computer has a favourite font.
The font you use is very important in determining how your output is viewed. Times New Roman is one of the fonts that many people are comfortable with, although a number of data input systems (for example, those used by local authorities) do not support it and favour Verdana or Arial.
When personal computers first appeared, the choice of fonts was limited. The most annoying feature was that the text displayed on the screen didn’t look like what emerged from the printer. In the Amstrad years, it was possible to accidentally change the font to italic and bold with a little injudicious key stroke and end up with a 100 page document, when all you really wanted was a draft copy. In the days of the daisy wheel and continuous paper joined in a long strip, this ended up costing a fortune.
These days, what you see is what you get. However, fonts that appear great and you can read without effort on screen can look altogether different on paper. One government department sent out an email to all department heads asking that they refrain from using Comic Sans because it was giving the wrong impression. When a font has the word ‘comic’ in its name, you might think that would be clue enough.
It is fun, though, to sprinkle amusing fonts through an email. And for those who still like to send snail mail letters, using fonts like Holiday, Joker or something from the Wingdings range will make them look as if they are illustrated without resorting to Clipart.
