WIth an endless supply of fonts on the market, choosing the right one can be a daunting task. In academics, it is important to use legible, easily-identifiable fonts for easy learning. Serif, sans serif, handwriting and large-type fonts are available for education publishing and student learning.
Serif fonts
Serif fonts are those with finishing strokes or small lines coming off the individual letters. Examples include Times New Roman, Georgia, Century Schoolbook and Oldstyle. In educational publishing, these fonts are best used for intermediate readers. Serif fonts are not ideal for examples of letters of the alphabet, for example, for beginning readers and writers.
Sans serif fonts
Sans serif fonts are those without added finishes to the letters. Examples include Helvetica, Comic sans, Arial, and News Gothic. These fonts are generally used as example letters for children to copy as they learn to write. They are also popular choices in children's books, where clean, recognizable fonts are needed.
Handwriting fonts
Handwriting fonts come in many varieties. For example, Learning Curve BV is a font that can be used in textbooks or handouts to help students learn cursive. The Print Clearly font can do the same for block lettering. These fonts also come as dotted lines for students to trace.
Large-type fonts
The American Printing House for the blind has created an AHPhont family that is an example of appropriate fonts for large-type books and other publications. These fonts are often used in picture books with few words. Large type fonts can also be used for large-type versions of textbooks.