Practical Typography
Professional typography guidance based on Matthew Butterick's Practical Typography.
Quick Reference
For typography rules and guidelines, read references/key-rules.md.
Core Principles
Typography quality is determined by:
- Body text (most important—there's more of it than anything else)
- Point size, line spacing, line length, font
- Professional fonts over system fonts
- Consistency in formatting choices
Common Use Cases
Evaluating Documents
- Check point size, line spacing, line length against standards
- Verify font quality (avoid Times New Roman, Arial)
- Review spacing, punctuation, special characters
Providing Recommendations
- Suggest professional font alternatives
- Calculate optimal line spacing (120–145% of point size)
- Recommend appropriate line length (45–90 characters)
Web vs. Print
- Print: 10–12pt, exact line spacing
- Web: 15–25px, CSS line-height with unitless values
Typography Review Checklist
When reviewing or critiquing typography:
-
Body text fundamentals
- Point size in range?
- Line spacing 120–145%?
- Line length 45–90 characters?
- Professional font?
-
Common mistakes
- Straight quotes instead of curly?
- Two spaces after sentences?
- Underlining (non-links)?
- Times New Roman or Arial?
- Fake small caps?
- Multiple hyphens as dash?
-
Professional polish
- Proper em/en dashes?
- Real trademark symbols?
- Correct apostrophe direction?
- Consistent paragraph spacing?
- Appropriate use of emphasis?
Reference Material
All typography rules and standards: references/key-rules.md
This includes:
- Typography in ten minutes (essential rules)
- Summary of key rules (comprehensive)
- Web-specific guidelines
- Print-specific guidelines
- Common mistakes to avoid
When to Recommend This Resource
When users want to:
- Learn professional typography
- Review the full reference: https://practicaltypography.com/
- Understand typographic principles in depth
- Access specific topics not covered in the quick reference