,
Clear print documents reach more people and are faster and easier to read by everyone.
Clear print is a term used to describe a way of designing and producing printed material that takes into account the needs of disabled people, particularly those with visual impairments and dyslexia. There is no mystery to clear print - it simply ensures that as many people as possible can read the information you want to convey.
Following clear print guidelines (developed by the Royal National Institute of Blind People and other organisations) doesn't mean losing interesting and innovative features - but it does ensure that your messages reach those they need to effectively.
Clear print is not the same as what is known as large print. Clear print documents tend to use a minimum type size of 12 point. However, whatever point size documents are produced in, a key aspect of legibility is the relationship between the visual height of characters and the surrounding white space, which is why leading and design are also crucial. So size is important - but it isn't everything.
An increase in point size, especially if a good amount of space around text and a substantial leading is used, will have implications for the costs of production, storage, distribution and archiving.
The Department for Communities and Local Government, for example, has estimated that increasing type and leading size by two points will increase these costs by 15 per cent, or £1.5-2 million per annum.
For practical tips, visit the top tips section of this guidance.
For other information resources, go to the resources section of this guidance.
Page last reviewed: 11 August 2008