How Small Can I Make My Labels?
The answer to this question is, of course, it depends. From a label printing perspective, we can print very small type. Our high resolution digital label printers can easily print crisp type down to a font size of just 2 points. However, that doesn’t mean you should design your labels with type that small. At that size, no one would be able to read them.
As you can see in the examples to the right, anything smaller than 6 point type is very difficult to read. Some designers say you should never use less than 10 point type if you want people to read your text. There are some industries, such as alcohol, where you have to adhere to government guidelines. Most bottles of beer are required to have the surgeon general’s warning printed with letters at least 2 mm in height – roughly a 6 point font.
The bottom line is this: For most products, it is up to you to decide how small to make your type. That said, there are a couple of guidelines that will help you create type that is easier to read if you follow them.
For small type, consider placing black type on a white background – or at least make your text dark and your background light. White or light text coming out of a dark background is more difficult to read; and in some cases, it is also more challenging to print – even digitally.
So, two good rules of thumb to follow are: 1) always make your text dark on a light background; and 2) make it as large as possible. Your customers will appreciate it.
(Peter Renton)