Make It Clear

Clear Print Quality Service and Mark

NCBI Media Centre clear print advisory service and Clear Print Mark, aims to assist voluntary, public and private clients to make their printed information more accessible using clear print design.

The Mark acknowledges organisations that use clear print design in their printed information. To achieve this Mark, you can submit documents, forms, posters and any other printed information to NCBI’s Media Centre, who will advise on its accessibility in terms of clear print principles and recommend changes which will make it easier to read.

Organisations who comply can be awarded the Clear Print Mark, which can be included on a publication.

Make It Clear Guidelines

NCBI has created guidelines on producing written information that is accessible to everyone. The RNIB clear print guidelines have been used to develop these guidelines.

More than 15,500 people use the services offered by the NCBI. Of this figure, 95 per cent have some useful vision. If a person is vision impaired, their vision may be blurred, colours can become dulled and they may not see small details. People with vision impairments may also have difficulty scanning text and may be able to see only a small part of an image or text at a time. Some people with low vision can read standard print but it can be slow and exhausting. For these people, written material should be produced in well-designed clear print so that it can read more easily.

Specific guidelines need to be followed so that the process of reading is as simple as possible for people with low vision. The recommendations in this document will not only help people with sight loss; clear language and layout help everybody access information more easily. With this in mind, the NCBI make the following recommendations.

These guidelines should be applied to any standard or large print material that your organisation produces.

Formatting

Although, each individual will have his or her own optimum type size, research (Rubin et al, 2006) has shown increasing type size, from standard print, will increase everyone’s reading speed.

The size of type (which is measured in point sizes or “x-height” which is the height of the lower case letter) is critical to clear print design.

• Use a very minimum of type size 12 point or ideally 14 point. The means a very minimum x-height of 2mm or ideally 2.3mm.
• Use clear and simple fonts that are easily recognisable. Avoid decorative, ornamental or handwriting font styles. There is some evidence to suggest that a clear sans serif font is preferable.
• Avoid cramming or stretching letters.
• Use a font type that gives equal space between each letter (known as a mono-spaced font). Avoid altering the space between words or letter, or changing the proportion of the letters (horizontal scaling) to fit more text onto a line.
• People recognise the shape of a word rather than every single letter when they read. Avoid underlining words or putting them in italics, as these make it more difficult to recognise letter shapes. Avoid writing a full sentence in CAPITAL LETTERS, as they distort the word’s shape.
• It is better to emphasise words using a bold type.
• Avoid a light weight as it will not provide enough contrast with the background colour. Bolder weight are easier to see and read.
• If using bullet points, make sure they are solid and in a contrasting colour.
• Do not use vertical or curving text.
• Splitting words between two lines, by using a hyphen, should be kept to a minimum, as this disrupts the reader’s flow.
• Use an average of 15 to 20 words in each sentence. Consecutive sentences that are too long or too short will tire the reader’s eyes and make it harder for them to follow what you are saying.

Large print

There is no single answer to “what is large print”. Each individual will have an optimum type size and will require personal correspondence in their preferred type size. NCBI defines large print as using a very minimum of type size 16, or an x-height of 2.8mm. If you are producing a large print version and decide to use 16 point type size you should state what the text size is when promoting the document. When producing a large print document, it is not only about enlarging the text size, you should also follow clear print design. Depending on the type of information, large print can also be effectively produced using a standard word processor and printer. This is particularly useful in the workplace for information such as agendas and reports. It is also a useful way of adapting the document to the text size requested.

Enlarging an A4 document to an A3 using a photocopier is not recommended because the quality can be reduced and an A3 sheet is difficult to manage.

Numbers and amounts

• The numbers 3, 5 and 8 can be misread and, with some fonts, 0 and 6 can be confused. Choose a font that has clear numerals.
• When using tables, make sure that the numbers and the borders are not too close together.
• Use decimal points only where necessary, as they can be difficult to see.

Layout

• Always use a consistent layout for each section to make it easier for the reader to find information. Use recurring features, for example, position headings and page numbers in the same place for each section.
• For longer documents, include a list of contents as a useful navigational aid. For a list of contents, use a dotted line between the text and the page number.

Leading

The space between lines of text is called leading. If lines of text are too close they can appear to merge making it difficult to read. Generally, the space between one line and the next should be at least 1.5 to 2 times the space between words on a line. This is not the same an increasing the leading to 1.5 times the point size. This translates into something like 14 point set on 17 point leading which is equivalent to a space of 2mm between each word and a space of 3.75mm between each line. Another example is 12 point set on 15 point leading. In Microsoft word, leading less than single line spacing would be inadequate.

Paragraphs

• Align text to the left, as this makes it easier for the reader to find the start of each line.
• It is best to avoid justifying text, as it creates uneven, and sometimes large, gaps between words or crams lines of text together. Readers with sight loss can mistake large gaps to be the end of sentences.
• Avoid aligning text to the right because this creates a jagged left margin making it difficult for readers with sight loss to find the start of each line.
• Only use centred text for main headings or titles. Centred text, where each lines starts in a different place, is difficult to follow.
• Use a margin of 1.5 inches to ensure that the text is not too close to the documents spine.
• Leave at least one full line between paragraphs. This will divide the text into sections, making it easier to navigate. Do not indent the first word of a paragraph.

Columns

• If using columns, leave plenty of space between the columns, known as the gutter. If the columns are too close together the reader may read across the page rather than down the column. If there is limited space, use a vertical line of at least 1 point thickness to separate columns.
• Do not place images into a column, as the reader has to skip over the image to read the next line and can lose their place on the page.

Printed forms

• Some people with low vision use a thick felt tip marker to see and read what they have written. If a reader needs to write on a form, make sure that there is plenty of space for them to write bigger and to complete the form using a thick marker.
• Make answer boxes stand out by having them in a paler colour than other parts of the form.
• Use as many tick-the-box questions as possible. For those with low vision, make sure tick boxes are large enough to see and tick.
• To avoid a jagged column of tick boxes, tick boxes should be on the left before the appropriate answer or linked to the answer by a dotted line.
• Make sure tick box borders and answer lines are solid and at least 1 point width.
• Make sure tick boxes are not confusingly located between two answers.
• In terms of Date of Birth boxes, make sure they are large enough to comfortably write in the numbers. Make sure the box outline is dark and about 1pt thickness. Some forms put letters in the boxes in pale grey DD MM YYYY – it is best to avoid this as either someone will think the box is filled in, or they will not see the letters at all. Social services number boxes should follow the same guidelines as above, again making sure that they are large enough to write the numbers in. In both cases, bear in mind that some people with low vision may have larger writing, and that they may use thick felt tip pens in order to see what they have written.

Footnotes

Footnote point size should be a minimum of 12pt or ideally 14pt. In terms of location, it is conventional to put footnotes at the bottom of a page which works well if a horizontal line of at least 1 pt separates the main text from the footnote text.

The reference to footnotes in text generally uses a superscript (smaller, raised) number. An alternative is to put the number in brackets, set in a minimum of 12pt or ideally 14pt, on the same baseline as the rest of the body text. Similarly, the numbers used for the actual footnotes should also follow these guidelines.

Images

• Images are a useful way to communicate information. A person with vision impairment may be only able to see a small piece of an image at one time, which they can build up to get an overall image.
• Use images that add to the meaning of information outlined in the text or provide a text caption explaining their significance. Ensure that text captions are located in the same place in the document so that the reader can easily find them.
• Try using images as a navigational aid for people with low vision, for example inserting an image to indicate the beginning of each section.
• Use images and photos with clear edges and good contrasting colours. These are easier to see than watercolour images with undefined edges and light, faded colours. Abstract images and images that use the same tone are best.
• The lines used in illustrations should be thick and solid.
• The important part of the image should stand out.
• Avoid images or photographs with too much detail.
• Do not place text over an image, as this will make the text more difficult to read. Readers will not expect to find text within an image.
• Do not overlay one image over another.
• If you want to wrap text around an image, place the image on the right of the page so that each line on the left margin will start in the same place making it easier for the reader to find the start of each line.
• Images should not be the only way of providing information. For example, if you include a graph, could it equally be explained in words or a table? If you include a map (a useful way to explain a location for people with literacy difficulties) also provide written directions.
• Make sure that images are clearly separate from text.
• Do not use grainy photographs.
• Make images and photographs as large as possible but not so large that they reduce in quality. A digital or scanned photograph for printing should have a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi) at the size at which it will be used.

Colour

• Effective use of contrast between text and the background on which it is printed is of crucial for people with low vision.
• Make sure the contrast is strong enough. It is better to use a very dark colour and a very pale colour, for example dark text on a light background.
• Avoid switching from negative text to standard text on the same page, as it can be confusing to the reader.
• Negative text (also known as reverse text) refers to using a very light colour text on a dark block of colour. Consider using it for headings, important information and page numbers.
• When using negative text, increase the type size and type weight because a very light colour text on a dark background appears smaller.
• Use different colour combinations for different sections of a document, for example choose navy and yellow for Chapter One, cream and brown for Chapter Two and so on.

Paper quality and surface

• Avoid glossy paper and gloss lamination. Choose matt, silk or uncoated paper. The paper should weigh over 90 gsm, a little thicker than standard photocopying paper so that you cannot see the design or text on the reverse of the page.
• If the paper folds over, ensure that creases are not on the text.
• Choose binding methods that allow the document to be laid flat for photocopying, scanning and reading with magnification. Perfect binding used for paperbacks can make it difficult to lay the document flat. Saddle stitching or staples is useful for shorter documents. Wire or comb binding allows a larger document to be opened flat.

Clear print design checklist

Font size and formatting

• Is the font size at least 12 point or ideally 14 point?
• Is the font type simple and clear?
• Is the text left aligned?
• Does the text contrast effectively with the background?
• Is the main text in upper and lower case?
• Are CAPS only used for single words?
• Is underlining and italics avoided?
• Is colour, bold or a larger font size used to highlight keywords or headings?
• Is splitting words between two lines avoided?
• Is curved or vertical text avoided?
• Is central alignment only used for titles?
• Is there is adequate space between each line?
• Are words stretched or crammed?
• Is there a space between each paragraph?
• Is there an adequate gutter between columns of text?
• Are bullet points solid and bold?

Consistent layout

• Is the layout consistent and logical?
• Are recurring features used?
• Are page numbers in the same place on each page?

Images

• Is text over images avoided?
• Are watermarks behind text avoided?
• Have you ensure that images are not the only way of providing information?

Forms

• If the reader needs to write on the page, is there is adequate space to use a big thick marker?
• If using tick boxes or tables, is the border is solid and bold?

Printing

• Does the paper have a matt finish?
• Do folds on the paper obscure the text?

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