Non-Designer’s Type Book, The, Second Edition

Are you Cramped for Space, or do You Need to Fill Space?

You’ve probably noticed that different typefaces take up different amounts of space, even at the same point size (see page I6 on the anatomy of type). The most critical factor for this difference is the width of the characters. The type family Times has an average x-height, but the characters are slightly condensed to fit more on the page. Other faces, such as Garamond, are more round and open and fill a page easily. Plus, if a typeface is open, it also likes to have extra line spacing and wider margins to complement its spaciousness, which you can take advantage of to further fill the space.

You’ll find differences even between typefaces that have the same family name but have been created ...