US changes official font

[SeleucusNicator]

From ABC News

US bans timed-honoured typeface
In a sign that no matter is too small to affect international diplomacy, the US State Department has issued an edict banning its longtime standard typeface from all official correspondence and replacing it with a "more modern" font.
In an internal memorandum distributed on Wednesday, the department declared "Courier New 12" - the font and size decreed for US diplomatic documents for years - to be obsolete and unacceptable after February 1.
"In response to many requests and with a view to making our written work easier to read, we are moving to a new standard font: 'Times New Roman 14'," said the memorandum.
The new font "takes up almost exactly the same area on the page as Courier New 12, while offering a crisper, cleaner, more modern look," it said, adding that after February 1 "only Times New Roman 14 will be accepted."
"This applies to diplomatic notes," the memorandum said tersely.
There are only three exceptions to the draconian new typographical rules: telegrams, treaty materials prepared by the State Department's legal affairs office and documents drawn up for the president's signature, it said.
The memorandum offered no explanation for the exceptions, leaving foreign service officers to speculate as to whether the White House, US treaty partners and telegram readers are not yet able to handle the change.

What's going to be the font of documents drawn up for the President's signature? Comic Sans 20?

 

[thestonesfan]

Size 14?!? Is that really necessary now that Strom Thurmond is gone?

But I do like Times New Roman. I always use it.

 

[MarineCorps]

Hmmmmm, Intresting. I wonder how many people actually care that the Govermant changed font.

 

[thestonesfan]

Aren't current government documents astronomically long, anyway? They ought to make it smaller.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Originally posted by SeleucusNicator
What's going to be the font of documents drawn up for the President's signature? Comic Sans 20?

Wingdings would be perfect for him..

 

[Smellincoffee]

We have an official font?

I use point size 10 Book Antiqua, regardless of what everyelse uses.

 

[IceBlaZe]

Times new roman is ugly.

I use Verdana.

 

[Pirate]

For Sarif fonts, Times New Roman sure is efficient. However I've always been partial to Book Antiqua and Goudy Old Style.

For Sans-sarif, nothing beats good ol' fashioned Arial. Helvetica is just too affected for everyday use.

I wonder how much taxpayer money went into this decision...

 

[Ville]

Why size 14 and not 12?

EDIT: I like Bookman Old Style, Arial, Times New Roman and Metal Lord

 

[Duke Togo]

I am sure some conspiracy theorist will come up with some sinister reason behind this.

 

[Karl Lenin]

Originally posted by SeleucusNicator
What's going to be the font of documents drawn up for the President's signature? Comic Sans 20?

My guess is DIN 1451.

 

[Oruc]

u should use Tahoma it sounds cool

 

[Mescalhead]

California should adopt the Terminator font.

 

[The Yankee]

Finally! The Mother of All Fonts!

Be very afraid, terrorists. Be very, very afraid.

 

[Cilpot]

Originally posted by IceBlaZe
Times new roman is ugly.

I use Verdana.

I agree on the screen.. Verdana was designed to look good on screen. Serif fonts are meant to be used for printing.

 

[Double Barrel]

We have a company policy to use Arial on all of our documents. I thought just my bosses were crazy, but apparently, crazy has no boundaries.

An official font...how humorous.

 

[amadeus]

Switching from Courier New? Outrageous.

You know, Ceausescu had all of his documents in large-size fonts because he didn't like reading glasses.

 

[Perfection]

Arial, is the way to go, simple striaghtforward and gets the job done!

 

[downwithgravity]

good lord...isn't there ANYTHING more productive they can do? hats off to the bureaucracy

 

[WildFire]

Does that mean if my teacher says a paper is due in size 12 font and I hand it in size 14, he can't mark it down cause I'm patriotic?