# Could we change the default font?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [June 29, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969 "2007-06-29T20:53:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2007, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/1 "2007-06-29T20:53:08Z")
Based on [this exchange](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=8726414) among Kimstu, Starving Artist, and Kaylasdad.
It’s hard to do rhetorical emphasis with Trebuchet. The bold in Trebuchet barely stands out, and the italic doesn’t stand out at all. Underline looks like a visited link. And all caps is considered rude. So I was wondering if maybe we could switch to Verdana, which by the way, also has the advantage of using Latin "I"s (with bars on top and bottom). That helps when you’re not sure if the user’s name is lan or Ian.
Verdana is a bit wider than Trebuchet, so if that’s a problem then Tahoma would be a reasonable substitute. It’s like a more narrow Verdana.
So, could we change our style sheets? No? Okay, thanks anyway. 😛
===============================================
Verdana:
It’s hard to do rhetorical emphasis with Trebuchet. The bold in Trebuchet barely stands out, and the italic doesn’t stand out at all. Underline looks like a visited link. And all caps is considered rude. So I was wondering if maybe we could switch to Verdana, which by the way, also has the advantage of using Latin "I"s (with bars on top and bottom). That helps when you’re not sure if the user’s name is lan or Ian.
Tahoma:
It’s hard to do rhetorical emphasis with Trebuchet. The bold in Trebuchet barely stands out, and the italic doesn’t stand out at all. Underline looks like a visited link. And all caps is considered rude. So I was wondering if maybe we could switch to Verdana, which by the way, also has the advantage of using Latin "I"s (with bars on top and bottom). That helps when you’re not sure if the user’s name is lan or Ian.
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### Author:  [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/2 "2007-06-29T22:00:29Z")
Just to compare all 3:
**Bold** in current default font.
\*Italic \*in current default font.
Underline in current default font.
**Bold** in Verdana
\*Italic \*in Verdana
Underline in Verdana
**Bold** in Tahoma
\*Italic \*in Tahoma
Underline in Tahoma
If it’s an option, I think either Verdana or Tahoma _is_ easier to look at (although I don’t think the “underline looks like a visited link” issue will go away).
GT
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### Author:  [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2007, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/3 "2007-06-29T22:07:23Z")
Didn’t we used to be in Verdana? I could have sworn that we did. But now I can’t remember - and I definitely don’t remember changing fonts. I’m losing it.
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### Author:  [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2007, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/4 "2007-06-29T22:16:26Z")
Just a quick comparison for length.
Default
the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog
THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE LAZY DOG
Verdana
the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog
THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE LAZY DOG
Tahoma
the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog
THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE LAZY DOG
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2007, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/5 "2007-06-29T22:52:13Z")
Font changes, if any implemented at all, are the kind of thing that should be settled with a board-wide opinion poll rather than listening to a small number of people in ATMB.
If the default font for posts were to change, I say go with Georgia as the default.
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2007, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/6 "2007-06-29T22:56:40Z")
Also, I have no problem seeing the difference between bolded text and plain text using our default font.
Using the Gerogia font:
Bold: **This sentence is bold.**
Italic: _This sentence is in italics._
Underline: This sentence is underlined.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/7 "2007-06-30T00:32:33Z")
[QUOTE=Doctor Who]
Didn’t we used to be in Verdana? I could have sworn that we did. But now I can’t remember - and I definitely don’t remember changing fonts. I’m losing it.
[/QUOTE]
I thought so too.
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### Author:  [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/8 "2007-06-30T02:37:51Z")
I could get behind Verdana; it’s the font I use for onscreen copyediting. Eminently readable.
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### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/9 "2007-06-30T02:45:17Z")
I’m happy overall with the default font – the other examples above don’t look nice – but I would like a more prominent italics. It’s true that italicized words barely stand out.
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### Author:  [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/10 "2007-06-30T02:53:49Z")
No love for Comic Sans?
Bold: **This sentence is bold.**
Italic: _This sentence is in italics._
Underline: This sentence is underlined.
_ **This one is all 3** _
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### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/11 "2007-06-30T06:13:13Z")
My vote’s for Palatino Linotype
**Here we have the bold**
_Here we have the italic_
And here we have the underlined
Maybe we could increase the default size and make the default color green, too.
I like the serif fonts. (Big green letters optional)
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/12 "2007-06-30T07:07:32Z")
Palatino Linotype is not a font that is installed in a default Macintosh OS X setup.
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### Author:  [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/13 "2007-06-30T08:44:20Z")
Vote Webdings!
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### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/14 "2007-06-30T15:27:39Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried]
Palatino Linotype is not a font that is installed in a default Macintosh OS X setup.
[/QUOTE]
Socre one for the PC! Suckas!
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### Author:  [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/15 "2007-06-30T18:43:46Z")
I like to use bold, and it bugs me a little that it doesn’t stand out that well.
The differences between the fonts in how the emphasis stands out seem to be more apparent when only one short word is emphasized and the sentences are separated. It’s clear Trebuchet is inferior in emphasis. If it came to a vote, I’d vote for a change.
The next **word** is emphasized (Trebuchet).
The next **word** is emphasized (Verdana).
The next **word** is emphasized (Tahoma).
The next _word_ is emphasized (Trebuchet).
The next _word_ is emphasized (Verdana).
The next _word_ is emphasized (Tahoma).
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### Author:  [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/16 "2007-06-30T19:22:30Z")
The logical solution would be to _not specify_ the font to be used.
This would cause the browser to apply the default font set by _user preference_.
That way everybody gets whatever font they like the most.
Edit: alternatively, set your browser to override the page’s settings and always use your preferred fonts.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/17 "2007-06-30T20:24:22Z")
Of the three under discussion here, I prefer Trebuchet. Verdana looks too big and bulky (especially when bolded), and Tahoma looks too cramped. The I/l distinction is a good point, but Trebuchet also distinguishes between them (by changing the l, instead of changing the I).
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### Author:  [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/18 "2007-06-30T22:43:46Z")
[QUOTE=1010011010]
The logical solution would be to _not specify_ the font to be used.
This would cause the browser to apply the default font set by _user preference_.
That way everybody gets whatever font they like the most.
Edit: alternatively, set your browser to override the page’s settings and always use your preferred fonts.
[/QUOTE]
Yes to your proposal, no to your edit.
When you set your browser to override, it seriously screws up all other sites you visit.
The problem with any default we choose, is that someone is bound to dislike it. Not setting a default leaves it good for all to set up but doesn’t mess up the rest of the interwebs.
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### Author:  [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)
#### Post date: [June 30, 2007, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/19 "2007-06-30T22:51:53Z")
Of all the proposed suggestions here, I suggest we all apply our preferred fonts in a custom stylesheet in our respective web browsers.
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### Author:  [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-change-the-default-font/409969/20 "2007-07-01T00:47:52Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried]
If the default font for posts were to change, I say go with Georgia as the default.
[/QUOTE]
Wow, I thought I was the only person who preferred Georgia for most tasks. I think it works especially well with Outlook e-mail.
You’ve got my vote, Arnold!
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