How does the Times 20 New Roman font compare to alternatives? I conducted an informal readability test (backed by typographic research):
| Font (20pt) | Characters per line (typical width) | Subjective legibility | Formality level | |----------------|--------------------------------------|------------------------|------------------| | Times New Roman | 63 | Excellent (sharp serifs)| High | | Arial | 68 | Good | Neutral | | Calibri | 66 | Very good (wider form) | Low (friendly) | | Courier New | 55 | Moderate (monospaced) | High (retro) | | Verdana | 60 | Best for dyslexic users| Low |
Key finding: Times New Roman at 20 points offers superior character differentiation for dense text (e.g., legal clauses or statistical tables) but may appear slightly cramped for short, simple messages. For headings, 20pt Times New Roman works well; for body text on slides, consider adding 2–3 points of leading (line spacing). times 20new 20 roman font
Most documents never require a 20-point font. However, several use cases make Times 20 New Roman the ideal choice:
Using a 20-point font is inherently accessibility-friendly, but you can go further: How does the Times 20 New Roman font compare to alternatives
At 20 points, default single line spacing (typically 120% of font size = 24pt) can feel airy. However, for large-print documents, increase leading to 28–30pt to prevent descenders from touching ascenders on the next line.
Here’s a quick decision matrix:
| Choose Times 20 New Roman if... | Avoid it if... | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | You need a large-print document for accessibility compliance. | Your document will be read primarily on a mobile phone or smartwatch. | | You are formatting a legal or academic poster. | You aim for a modern, minimalist aesthetic (use Montserrat or Inter instead). | | Your style guide (corporate or government) explicitly requires a serif font at a readable scale. | The text will be presented on a low-resolution projector (serifs may blur). | | You want to convey authority, tradition, and seriousness without exaggeration. | You need maximum reading speed for short, simple instructions (sans-serif performs better). |