While reading a book, which factor grabs your attention first? Of course, the way it is written. You can choose any font that provides a formal impression for printed books. However, when it comes to an ebook, you must select a standard book font that maximises readability regardless of screen size and type of device—laptop, Pc, or mobile.

In this article, we search in detail and explain the best font style and size for printed and each type of ebook—fictional or non-fictional. We also provide a guideline for typography selection. So keep reading and choose the best for your upcoming book! 

Book Font Style and Size for Printed Book

Printed books have a huge number of text and 100s of pages that require fonts that make them light on the eyes and easy to read. There are two options for printed book fonts: Serif and Sans Serif. 

Serif font

Serif font is suitable for large blocks as it provides a coherent and formal look to the written text. They are best for history or biography books, where a lot of data is stuffed on a page. Some of the most popular Serif include: 

1. Times New Roman
2. Garamond
3. Georgia
4. Merriweather
5. Palantino
6. Bookerly
7. Literata

Sans Serif Font

Sans Serif fonts provide a clean and modern look to the printed book and are mainly used for headings, sub-headings, and short blocks. In other words, most typefaces use these typography selections to add a fancy touch to your book. Some of the most popular Sans Serifs include:

1. Arial
2. Helvetica
3. Futura
4. Roboto
5. Open Sans
6. Lato
7. Myriad

Font Size

For traditional book printing, the font size is 10-12 points for large blocks. It should be between 14-18 points for subheading while maintaining a ten-line margin between subheading and body text. However, it is mostly 18 points for headlines while maintaining a balance between headlines and a large body of 1-2 lines. Last, you can go with 48 points or above for a book title. 

Which Font Size is Best for an eBook?

Unlike traditional books, readers can change ebooks’ font style and size. Therefore, using a single standard font, Times New Roman, Arial, or Courier, is the best choice as this simplifies the conversation process and prevents clustering. 

However, if you want some fancy touch, you can use a wide selection of typography and San Serif fonts. In the following section, we recommend the best font style and sizes for different ebooks—fictional, non-fictional, or children’s books. 

eBook Font Style

Three of the best fonts for ebooks include:  

• Arial: Arial stands out as an ultimate choice for easy-to-read design. 

• Times New Roman: It provides a clear tone structure. 

• Courier: The horizontal space structure provides a uniform look. 

Note: You can choose different serif fonts, but the problem is that they can change into strange symbols and characters while being translated. 

eBook Font Size

Like printed books, ebook font size varies for titles, headlines, subheadings, and body. The best font size for the body is 12 points; however, for titles, it should be 14-18 points. But it’s up to the reader if he wants to change the font size after converting the manuscript into EPUB format. 

eBook Font Attribute

Add bold, italic, or underlining elements using the format font menu or toolbar button. However, if you want to add any character unavailable on the keyboard, you can search for them with the same font name instead of using alternative symbols or characters. 

Book Font for Children’s Book

A children’s ebook with a maximum of 500 words is usually organised into 32 pages—14 double-page spreads, title, half-title, copyright, dedication and final pages. The standard font is the ultimate choice; however, you can use Serif and Non-Serif fonts if the book has pictures. 

Font Style 

Serif Fonts

• Georgia
• Crimson
• Garamond Pro
• Myriad Pro
• Plantin Infants
• Alegreya
• Century Schoolbook
• Baskerville Old Face

Non-Serif Fonts

• Andika
• Lato
• Avenir Next
• Century Gothic
• Gill Sans
• Quicksand
• Helvetica

Font Size

If you are using the standard font, then 18 points are best. However, we have some recommendations:

• Font size for over 12 years old children’s book: 12 points

• Font size for 7 to 12 years old children’s book: 14-24 points

• Font size for over 1 to 7 years old children’s book: 24 points

Book Font for Fictional/Poetry Books 

The font style for fictional books varies according to the type of content. Sometimes, you need a standard font, but on the other hand, some poems need characters and symbols. You can use any typeface to make your work attractive. 

Font Style 

• Helvetica
• Baskerville
• Garamond
• Palatino
• Verdana
• Janson
• Optima

Font Size

Usually, the font size used with Sans-serif font is 10-12 points. However, if you feel you have less content for any page, you can also use 14 points. 

Book Font for Non-Fictional Books

Non-fictional books usually require word spacing to make text more catchy. You can go through typography selections and use any font style, Serif or Non-Serif. However, here we have some good recommendations. 

Font Style 

• Minion
• Geramond
• Baskerville

Font Size

The font size varies from 10-14, and you can use it depending on the type of content. 

Final Words

In this era of competition, standing out in the book publishing market is a tough row to overcome. Therefore, you must focus on every aspect—from Book font to typography selection. To prevent complications, you can use any font style for traditional printed books, but you must stick with a standard ebook style. We explore some good font styles and sizes that fit all domains. So whether your audience is reading a book physically or on any digital device, they find fonts that are convenient and easy to read.