Which font for business letters

[bonheur]

I'm thinking of switching the Times New Roman font I use for business letters for something else. I run MS Word 2007 over Win7 and I do not plan on buying any fonts.

I read serifed fonts may be easier to pick up so I'm wondering which of the following fonts would be a better choice for my needs:

• Georgia
• Cambria
• Palatino Linotype

In case sans serif fonts are equally easy to read, I could use something like Corbel or Calibri.

Eventually, what's the suggested leading (line spacing) for business letters? Should I use kerning?

[tamasrepus]

Try Gentium, "typeface for the nations".

It looks larger than Times New Roman at the same font size, yet doesn't take much more vertical or horizontal space.

[kps]

I read serifed fonts may be easier to pick up so I'm wondering which of the following fonts would be a better choice for my needs:

• Georgia
• Cambria
• Palatino Linotype

You can't go wrong with Palatino. Well, you can, but you won't. Constantia, one of the new Windows C series, is similar in style but a shade less flashy. Gentium is fine, but a bit condensed (like Times), and I think the larger x-height makes it look less formal.

Eventually, what's the suggested leading (line spacing) for business letters?

Depends on the font. With Palatino LT or Constantia, for instance, you can safely stick to 12 on 12, i.e. no additional spacing. Gentium needs an extra point or even two, I think, so as not to look too crowded. [Edit: Gentium Plus, on the other hand, probably needs one point tightening, since there's so much room for all the myriad accents.]
 

Should I use kerning?

Always.

[Brodie337]

Comic Sans

[strum4h]

helvetica always

[redpill]

Utopia is lovely but I don't think it comes with '07

[bonheur]

Thank you for all your suggestions!

I don't have Utopia on my system. Is it an Office 2010 font?

Can I see a document written with the Gentium font somewhere? Also, could you please tell me which Gentium font should I look for? I came across several Gentium fonts with a Google search.

I really like Palatino Linotype, but this font doesn't have a nice-looking, two-character, ŀl (the ŀ).

So after reviewing several fonts on my system I came up with this:

   Georgia

About 13 points seems fine for the kind of documents I usually write. But I dislike the 19th century numbers. Don't they make my letters old fashioned and somewhat difficult to read?

Constantia

Somewhere around 13 points seems alright for my letters. But I also dislike the typewriter numbers that come with this font.

[IvanIvanovich]

cthulhu runes is always a tasteful choice...
now seriously, if you want something clean and modern: eurostile, century gothic, itc avant garde gothic, nimbus condensed,  and my favorite - swiss 721 condensed. all nice readable fonts with clean lines and modern styling giving off that we're serious, but still with it vibe.

[redpill]

I don't have Utopia on my system. Is it an Office 2010 font?

I think it's an Adobe font, but I don't think you have to pay for it.  I can track it down for you if you're interested.

[vun]

First; you ask if you should use kerning. For large amounts of text kerning should be set to optical and left at that as individually kerning every letter will take forever and won't make much of a difference.

As for fonts; Garamond is a safe choice if you have it on your system. Should be pleasing for most people unless you're dealing with graphic/font designers as it is somewhat flawed.

You say you like Georgia but you're concerned about the numbers; may I ask what format you have the font in? If it's OpenType I believe you can choose what type of numbers to use. Not sure if it's even possible in Word, though, as I never use it.

Serif Beta, Gentium(as mentioned earlier) and Calluna are decent serif fonts that can be had for free, I'd give them a look.

[kps]

Constantia Somewhere around 13 points seems alright for my letters. But I also dislike the typewriter numbers that come with this font.

Constantia at least includes lining numbers. I'm not a Word user so I might have this wrong, but I believe that when you set up your style, open the Font dialog box, go to the Advanced tab (the same place you turn on kerning, apparently) and set "Number forms" to "Lining".

[bonheur]

Apparently, I need MS Office 2010 in order to fully access all the OpenType features as it can be read on here: http://golabstudios.com/2010/12/exploring-the-new-opentype-features-in-office-2010/

So I'm going to need fonts that default to lining tabular figures for now... awesome.

Does anybody know when the next release of MS Office is scheduled to appear on the shelves? Will it have any other OpenType features over those found in the 2010 release? Also, any internationalization features are always welcome.

Where can I get a hold of this Utopia font?

[bonheur]

Constantia at least includes lining numbers. I'm not a Word user so I might have this wrong, but I believe that when you set up your style, open the Font dialog box, go to the Advanced tab (the same place you turn on kerning, apparently) and set "Number forms" to "Lining".

You're right, but only for the 2010 release onwards: http://golabstudios.com/2010/12/exploring-the-new-opentype-features-in-office-2010/

[vun]

Anybody that wrote me a business letter with a fancy font I would suspect of being Nigerian.
(Attachment Link) 18105[/ATTACH]

 
That's why choosing a good font is important. If you choose a good font and a good setup you shouldn't really notice how fancy the font is. Most of you have probably seen this already, but it illustrates the point in a way most people should be able to understand.

[IvanIvanovich]

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Do get in touch with me immediately to conclude this final transaction immediately,and also send to me your convenient account details.
Regards,
Mr Adekunle Egbo