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Rubio stages font coup: Times New Roman ousts Calibri

(www.reuters.com)
386 points italophil | 3 comments | 10 Dec 25 00:08 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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zzo38computer ◴[10 Dec 25 06:40 UTC] No.46214792[source]▶
Calibri font has "I" and "l" the same, according to Wikipedia. A better font should avoid characters being too similar (such as "I" and "l" and "1").

Another issue is due to the font size and font metrics, how much space it will take up on the page, to be small enough to avoid wasting paper and ink but also not too small to read.

So, there are multiple issues in choosing the fonts; however, Times New Roman and Calibri are not the only two possible choices.

Maybe the government should make up their own (hopefully public domain) font, which would be suitable for their purposes (and avoiding needing proprietary fonts), and use that instead.

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bulbar ◴[11 Dec 25 06:47 UTC] No.46228391[source]▶
Nothing is more inefficient than the secretary of state thinking about and conducting meetings about the font used in documents. It just doesn't matter in the sense that it "doesn't move the needle".

I expect the leaders of a government deciding on matters that have a real impact on people's live, not on stuff that from a practical point of view is totally irrelevant.

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nailer ◴[11 Dec 25 06:54 UTC] No.46228439[source]▶
The global impression of the US is worth thinking about. The font is part of that.
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bulbar ◴[11 Dec 25 07:12 UTC] No.46228552[source]▶
It's really not. The used font just doesn't move the needle regarding the global impression. 99% of people never ever think or care about the font they use.

What else should be decided on on the highest level: spacing, padding, allowance of the Oxford comma?

It is useful that somebody thinks about that stuff, just not the highest level of the government.

That's like the CEO of Microsoft having meeting about coding conventions, space vs tabs, variable name format etc.

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1. moltopoco ◴[11 Dec 25 10:01 UTC] No.46229522{3}[source]▶
The irony here is that Steve Jobs _did_ actually think about fonts. Sure, he certainly didn't think about Times New Roman, but I disagree with the idea that someone at the top should not have time to write a quick memo about trivialities if it bothers them.
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2. oneeyedpigeon ◴[11 Dec 25 11:11 UTC] No.46229971[source]▶
(Part of) Steve Jobs' job was to deliver a great operating system, and part of that relates to how fonts are used. No part of the President's job involves picking a font, let alone legislating around it, unless there are actual political factors involved.
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3. nailer ◴[11 Dec 25 18:56 UTC] No.46235506[source]▶
The secretary of state communicates with foreign countries, and part of that relates to how fonts are used. I am sure you are already aware of this.