Do you have any font preferences?

[Eluard]

I was wondering if any of you folk have any font preferences for your poems? Do you like to see your poems in, say, Garamond, or Bembo — or doesn't it matter at all to you.

A few years ago I set a book of poems of mine in Quark. And it was very important to me that the poems looked right — and for those poems that meant setting the whole thing in Bodoni. Now I am putting everything into Garamond Premium from Adobe.

I remember some time ago reading the views of an older poet saying that she thought her poems looked best in Monotype Baskerville.

El.

 

[TheRainMan]

I was wondering if any of you folk have any font preferences for your poems? Do you like to see your poems in, say, Garamond, or Bembo — or doesn't it matter at all to you.

A few years ago I set a book of poems of mine in Quark. And it was very important to me that the poems looked right — and for those poems that meant setting the whole thing in Bodoni. Now I am putting everything into Garamond Premium from Adobe.

I remember some time ago reading the views of an older poet saying that she thought her poems looked best in Monotype Baskerville.

El.

there are a lot i like -- Century, Garamond, Palatino Linotype -- but when i write, i have become so accustomed to writing in Times New Roman (which is Microsoft Word's default), that i find all other fonts a bit distracting.

that's why my posts on the 30/30 are in Times, because i edit as i write, and the default Verdana bothers me.

silly, but true.

 

[Sara Crewe]

I was wondering if any of you folk have any font preferences for your poems? Do you like to see your poems in, say, Garamond, or Bembo — or doesn't it matter at all to you.

A few years ago I set a book of poems of mine in Quark. And it was very important to me that the poems looked right — and for those poems that meant setting the whole thing in Bodoni. Now I am putting everything into Garamond Premium from Adobe.

I remember some time ago reading the views of an older poet saying that she thought her poems looked best in Monotype Baskerville.

El.

I think I have run across enough editors who ask for poems to be in Times New Roman or Arial that I use one or the other for anything I write. Just a habit.

 

[Tzara]

In Word, I like Times New Roman 10 pt. On my monitor, or even printed, 12 pt looks fat and overinflated. As I am often overinflated in my poems, I have taken a dislike to that font size. Jeez, at least let my effing font look professional.

Differing fonts are, well, different. When I am getting ready to submit (to Lit, to Lit) I capture a sample page and model what the poem looks like in its font, whatever it is—Futura? Ventura? Not so much for the font as for the spacing. The spacing is important.

What, of course, is really important is the words. Fuck those up and don't matter about niceties like font. Don't matter at all.

 

[Sara Crewe]

In Word, I like Times New Roman 10 pt. On my monitor, or even printed, 12 pt looks fat and overinflated. As I am often overinflated in my poems, I have taken a dislike to that font size. Jeez, at least let my effing font look professional.

Differing fonts are, well, different. When I am getting ready to submit (to Lit, to Lit) I capture a sample page and model what the poem looks like in its font, whatever it is—Futura? Ventura? Not so much for the font as for the spacing. The spacing is important.

What, of course, is really important is the words. Fuck those up and don't matter about niceties like font. Don't matter at all.

Geez. You think too much. Stop it. You are not allowed to become any more intelligent. It's totally unfair to the rest of us. If I whap you on the back of your head will you stop thinking?

 

[Tzara]

Geez. You think too much. Stop it. You are not allowed to become any more intelligent. It's totally unfair to the rest of us. If I whap you on the back of your head will you stop thinking?

No, that just makes me worse.

Now if you whap something lower down, that might be effective. Well, not whap, exactly. Cushiness works there.

You're an adult. Don't they teach this in Canada?

 

[champagne1982]

No, that just makes me worse.

Now if you whap something lower down, that might be effective. Well, not whap, exactly. Cushiness works there.

You're an adult. Don't they teach this in Canada?

Teach male low-down cushiness? ... I must have been sick that day

 

[Sara Crewe]

No, that just makes me worse.

Now if you whap something lower down, that might be effective. Well, not whap, exactly. Cushiness works there.

You're an adult. Don't they teach this in Canada?

I am Canadian. We don't whap down there. That would be mean. Okay, we don't whap down there when anyone's watching. It ruins the peacekeeping image.


*Sorry El 'bout the threadjack. I'm scootin' now. Cool poems on 30/ 30 btw. Actually cool poems on all three of you guys.

 

[Tzara]

Teach male low-down cushiness? ... I must have been sick that day

Want some lessons, Champie? I give them gratis. My personal outreach program. It's a kind of "give back" thing.

 

[champagne1982]

Want some lessons, Champie? I give them gratis. My personal outreach program. It's a kind of "give back" thing.

<evil grin> Hmmmm... is this some sort of lagomorphic splooge runnel uprising? If it is... lemme just open my mouth and...

ick.

I don't have a font preference, btw.

 

[Eluard]

there are a lot i like -- Century, Garamond, Palatino Linotype -- but when i write, i have become so accustomed to writing in Times New Roman (which is Microsoft Word's default), that i find all other fonts a bit distracting.

that's why my posts on the 30/30 are in Times, because i edit as i write, and the default Verdana bothers me.

silly, but true.

Yes, I was wondering why you did that — put them in Times I mean. But that is also why I put mine in Garamond: because I write them in Garamond. So when I move them across…well it just gives a roughly similar look.

I agree that verdana just seems wrong for poetry.

 

[sellthecookie]

trebuchet works fine for me.

and georgia too.

 

[Angeline]

I like Palatino because it has clean-looking lines to me

I sometimes like gothic.

But I mainly obsess over fonts when I'm doing illustrated poems. For them I often use Comic Sans

or one of the typewriter-looking fonts, like Courier (although I prefer a typeface called Another Tpewriter)

 

[Rybka]

Unless I am making an illustrated poem I prefer 12 point Verdana. Anything smaller or lighter is becoming harder and harder for me to read.

 

[Eluard]

I like Palatino because it has clean-looking lines to me

I sometimes like gothic.

But I mainly obsess over fonts when I'm doing illustrated poems. For them I often use Comic Sans

or one of the typewriter-looking fonts, like Courier (although I prefer a typeface called Another Tpewriter)

Yes, it is one of the principles of typographic design that the font should match the subject matter. So if you are doing something on a jazz artist of the thirties it is a good idea to choose a font from the 30s — like Futura, or one of the more Art Deco fonts. And if the artist is from the fifties then a different generation of font would work better — maybe one of the typewriter fonts that you use, one with a slightly dirtier look than Courier. You probably do this now very effectively…but it's worth saying.

(It's worth noting that Futura has the rare distinction of actually being banned by the Nazi's.)

 

[Lauren Hynde]

<whatever font> just seems wrong for poetry.

Any font other than bold size 4 light pink scriptC seems wrong for poetry.


PS: I'm with Champers on this one. It's one thing to have a favourite font if you're defining what the next chapbook layout is going to be, or when you're in control of the design of an entire site or webpage, but not for this. I was even this close to sending a PM to TheRainMan when I noticed that he was changing the default font to no matter what. I find it as distracting as the above and have nearly has much trouble reading it, for the simple fact that it's not the default used for every other post around it, and therefore shifts the focus away from the words.

 

[poppy1963]

Is there a way to increase the size of your font here at Lit? I try but my efforts so far have not been successful (changing points, using "Increase Size"). Also, I've seen people using more "script" styles...at times. How do I add one or more of those to my options?

 

[TheRainMan]

Any font other than bold size 4 light pink scriptC seems wrong for poetry.


PS: I'm with Champers on this one. It's one thing to have a favourite font if you're defining what the next chapbook layout is going to be, or when you're in control of the design of an entire site or webpage, but not for this. I was even this close to sending a PM to TheRainMan when I noticed that he was changing the default font to no matter what. I find it as distracting as the above and have nearly has much trouble reading it, for the simple fact that it's not the default used for every other post around it, and therefore shifts the focus away from the words.

i will change the font back just for you, my darling (except when i'm editing the post)

because i love Portuguese women, i do.

. . . especially when they focus on things other than words.

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Thank you!

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Is there a way to increase the size of your font here at Lit? I try but my efforts so far have not been successful (changing points, using "Increase Size"). Also, I've seen people using more "script" styles...at times. How do I add one or more of those to my options?

When you say here at Lit, do you mean here in the boards, or at Lit-Lit?

Either way, please don't. I was definitely joking in the first part of that post...

 

[poppy1963]

When you say here at Lit, do you mean here in the boards, or at Lit-Lit?

Either way, please don't. I was definitely joking in the first part of that post...

I was meaning on the Boards...forums. Sometimes a pretty font would be nice...or a larger option activated. But I see you are serious about not using others. Is that a personal annoyance or a preference on the Boards in general?

 

[Lauren Hynde]

I was meaning on the Boards...forums. Sometimes a pretty font would be nice...or a larger option activated. But I see you are serious about not using others. Is that a personal annoyance or a preference on the Boards in general?

It's a personal annoyance of quite a large number of people, although obviously not all. If you have the Standard Editor activated as your Message Editor Interface, in your Options, you'll see a drop-down menu with different fonts when you're writing a new post.

 

[poppy1963]

It's a personal annoyance of quite a large number of people, although obviously not all. If you have the Standard Editor activated as your Message Editor Interface, in your Options, you'll see a drop-down menu with different fonts when you're writing a new post.

Thank you! I have no intention of using strange fonts on general posts...just more in my "creative writing" efforts/threads. I promise if I find a way not to use such stuff indiscriminantly!

 

[Lauren Hynde]

Everything has its place!

 

[poppy1963]

Everything has its place!

You think so? That's good to know as this afternoon I ain't so sure about that....the world is often strange as are many fonts!