Can the Right Font Save You Money?

Believe it or not, a font switch can be a real money saver.  Doc was intrigued by this recent post from my fellow ZDNet bloggers over at the “Between the Lines” blog, which reveals how making a simple switch from 11-point Arial font to 10-point Century Gothic font can lead to some significant savings.   You see Century Gothic is a lighter weight font by about 30%, than Arial. The theory, then, is that less font equals less ink. Check out the post for details on other fonts for the frugal.

Pondering this lead Doc to a commercial software product called Ecofont, which accomplishes the same goal by automatically putting "Swiss cheese-like holes" in your standard fonts. This, the company claims, saves on ink and toner but doesn’t affect legibility.

Doc’s as much for saving money and materials as the next guy, but can font choice or poking holes in your fonts really have a significant impact on your spending? Well, if you’re big enough, then it’s bound to add up. But Doc has some caveats.

First, make sure the font you choose is not only thinner in line weight, but narrower in design, as well. Fonts that are wider in design tend to run to more lines, which could trigger documents to jump to an unnecessary new page.

And while it is tough on the eyes, switching to a smaller font size might actually have a bigger impact than font design itself. Ideally a thinner, condensed font at the smallest readable size, is the best choice.

This all makes Doc laugh a little.  Back in the days when fonts were made of metal, smaller sizes cost less than larger ones. Maybe we haven’t come as far as we think!

Best solution? Print fewer emails!