Lots of great replies so far, especially the fact that certain fonts can look different sizes based on x-heights, line thickness, spacing, and other variations even if they are both set at the same point size. (For example, I've noticed that the lettering fonts from Blambot tend to look "larger" than fonts from Comicraft even if I have both of them set at the same point size.)
I exclusively use computer fonts for lettering because I'm prone to tendon problems in my fingers if I try gripping a pen for any sizable amount of handwritten text. But those artists who can letter by hand should definitely give it a try -- it can add a definite flair of individuality to the finished work that makes it stand out from standard typesetting.
Personally, in my own comics I usually use a font size between 6 and 8 points. I've found that to look comparable to what's currently used by Marvel and DC (although as others have pointed out in this thread, modern lettering tends towards smaller text.) This size is readable in printed form, but might not be appropriate for webcomics, since text at that size can look blurry depending on the font being used and the reader's screen settings. Try to avoid simply accepting whatever the default settings are included in your software -- try different sizes, different fonts, different settings instead. You have to experiment with what fonts and lettering formats work well in combination with your art style and mood of the story.
Font sizes are potentially relative. It depends on the font itself and it's x-height.
Some fonts at 8pt will look like 10pt and sometimes a 10 pt font will look like 8pt. X-heights, line heights, font-weights, font style, and a whole litany of other factors come into play.
When using a font online, you should use pixels (or em's but let's not confuse the issue). In print you should use points (pt). Online, for an older audience, 16px is a good size - though it could be too large for some. 12-14px is usually average. (I tend to like a 16px font size with a 20px line-height for the web aka 16px/20px) Please note: pixels and pts are not 1:1.
In print for comics - depending on the font used, 8pt is usually adequate. I tend to find with comic fonts if you start hitting 12 points it looks too big. Also, font companies like Blambot are well aware of "legibility" issues and will make sure most of their fonts are readable at smaller sizes. Caveat: Different types of fonts are intended for different things - so some fonts may look huge at say 10pt or really tiny at 20pt. (Types of fonts could be: Display, FX, Dialog etc.)
I don't mind comic fonts done on the computer. If you dig around enough, you'll find ones that apply to the situation you're in. To those who hand letter, it is more natural and organic, i myself don't have the time to do it so I use pre-made. Keep up the good work. There are also tools that will allow you to make your own fonts if you so wish.
If your doing general text layout for print, a good rule of thumb is to have your line-height be 2pt's larger than your font size. i.e. 10pt with a 12pt line-height (10pt/12pt) or 8pt/10pt 14pt/16pt - you get the idea. THIS RULE IS NOT WRITTEN IN STONE. If you think it looks better with 3pts or 4pts or even 20pts of space between your lines, that's up to you. As long as it makes sense for the product you produce. You can even do negative ledding i.e. 10pt/9pt if that's the effect you want. (This will pull the text below into the text above.)
As someone above said, it's all about readability/legibility.
Bigger the better. People learning to read need it that way, and older readers often develop visual impairments that call for larger print.
Unfortunately comic books (the secular, commercial variety, anyway) are continuing to shrink in size! Even the original art image areas used by Marvel and DC artists are significantly smaller than the 10" x 15" of the bronze age (golden and silver age original art had a 13" x 18" image area, and the printed books were 1/4 to 1/2 half inch wider, not to mention the page count being much higher).
i had to order my ames guides online cos they don't have them here in singapore. cost me a bomb to ship over! i like lettering by hand too. much more character and variation. and it's got the feel to it. but boy does it take up time.
i don't think there's a standard when it comes to lettering. after all, lettering is an art, and its design is used to express what the artist/characters are trying to convey. from will eisner's work to arkham asylum to calvin and hobbes, the size, look and feel of lettering can vary a lot! what really matters is readability.
I suppose it's not unlike the difference between real drums in a pop song, as opposed to a drum machine, even one that's played a variety of fills and beats. The human ear can detect the 'monotony' of the too-perfect repetitions, just as the human eye can likewise detect the 'monotony' of too-perfect lettering, even if the font were generated from one that was originally hand-lettered.
it depends on your image resolution (12 pt can look way different in 72 dpi, which is web resolution, than 300 dpi which is the usual print resolution)
another thing is different fonts can have different sizes (one at 12 pt may be designed smaller than another at the same point size)
best test is to print out your page at the actual print size and see how it turns out
hmmm...well 12pt is the standard font for all documented text, except for the title/logo.
thing is, size does tend to differ when it comes to the type of font. just because its 12 pts , a font like Rock It doesn't mean its the usual 12 pt size...
as for print and web? that's what gets me, too. I've noticed that just because it look good on screen doesn't mean it comes out like that in print...the screen tends to deceive the eye a bit..... so that's what I got for you, hope it helps.
I was about to give you the Ames guide setting, but then I realized that I'm probably one of the last few humans on the planet who still hand letters his pages(!). Personally, I think computer lettering looks 'dead', and the word balloons are too generically perfect---especially after seeing the hand lettering of Alex Toth, Jeff Jones, and Moebius in their comic book work (Jesse Hamm's three favorite artist-letterers, too, by the way)---but today's generation of readers probably doesn't notice it as much. Walt Kelly gave each character his own special font in the "Pogo" comic strip, and I used to like the way Jeff McNelly's "Shoe" lettering tilted a bit to the left (I believe Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" font was much the same). UK publisher 2000 A.D. (Judge Dredd, etc.) had an unusually skinny lettering font, and the E.C. comics of the 1950s used a Leroy lettering template, but I'm digressing here! The average comic book letter stands at about 1/8" tall when placed on a page with a 10" x 15" image area (original size), if that's any help.
Replies
I exclusively use computer fonts for lettering because I'm prone to tendon problems in my fingers if I try gripping a pen for any sizable amount of handwritten text. But those artists who can letter by hand should definitely give it a try -- it can add a definite flair of individuality to the finished work that makes it stand out from standard typesetting.
Personally, in my own comics I usually use a font size between 6 and 8 points. I've found that to look comparable to what's currently used by Marvel and DC (although as others have pointed out in this thread, modern lettering tends towards smaller text.) This size is readable in printed form, but might not be appropriate for webcomics, since text at that size can look blurry depending on the font being used and the reader's screen settings. Try to avoid simply accepting whatever the default settings are included in your software -- try different sizes, different fonts, different settings instead. You have to experiment with what fonts and lettering formats work well in combination with your art style and mood of the story.
Some fonts at 8pt will look like 10pt and sometimes a 10 pt font will look like 8pt. X-heights, line heights, font-weights, font style, and a whole litany of other factors come into play.
When using a font online, you should use pixels (or em's but let's not confuse the issue). In print you should use points (pt). Online, for an older audience, 16px is a good size - though it could be too large for some. 12-14px is usually average. (I tend to like a 16px font size with a 20px line-height for the web aka 16px/20px) Please note: pixels and pts are not 1:1.
In print for comics - depending on the font used, 8pt is usually adequate. I tend to find with comic fonts if you start hitting 12 points it looks too big. Also, font companies like Blambot are well aware of "legibility" issues and will make sure most of their fonts are readable at smaller sizes. Caveat: Different types of fonts are intended for different things - so some fonts may look huge at say 10pt or really tiny at 20pt. (Types of fonts could be: Display, FX, Dialog etc.)
I don't mind comic fonts done on the computer. If you dig around enough, you'll find ones that apply to the situation you're in. To those who hand letter, it is more natural and organic, i myself don't have the time to do it so I use pre-made. Keep up the good work. There are also tools that will allow you to make your own fonts if you so wish.
If your doing general text layout for print, a good rule of thumb is to have your line-height be 2pt's larger than your font size. i.e. 10pt with a 12pt line-height (10pt/12pt) or 8pt/10pt 14pt/16pt - you get the idea. THIS RULE IS NOT WRITTEN IN STONE. If you think it looks better with 3pts or 4pts or even 20pts of space between your lines, that's up to you. As long as it makes sense for the product you produce. You can even do negative ledding i.e. 10pt/9pt if that's the effect you want. (This will pull the text below into the text above.)
As someone above said, it's all about readability/legibility.
Hope this helps.
Unfortunately comic books (the secular, commercial variety, anyway) are continuing to shrink in size! Even the original art image areas used by Marvel and DC artists are significantly smaller than the 10" x 15" of the bronze age (golden and silver age original art had a 13" x 18" image area, and the printed books were 1/4 to 1/2 half inch wider, not to mention the page count being much higher).
i don't think there's a standard when it comes to lettering. after all, lettering is an art, and its design is used to express what the artist/characters are trying to convey. from will eisner's work to arkham asylum to calvin and hobbes, the size, look and feel of lettering can vary a lot! what really matters is readability.
another thing is different fonts can have different sizes (one at 12 pt may be designed smaller than another at the same point size)
best test is to print out your page at the actual print size and see how it turns out
thing is, size does tend to differ when it comes to the type of font. just because its 12 pts , a font like Rock It doesn't mean its the usual 12 pt size...
as for print and web? that's what gets me, too. I've noticed that just because it look good on screen doesn't mean it comes out like that in print...the screen tends to deceive the eye a bit..... so that's what I got for you, hope it helps.
Kind regards,
Alec Stevens
www.calvarycomics.com