best font for html email?

[superboyac]

Hi everyone.  I've struggled with the Bat's antiquated text editor in email for years now.  I'm done with it.  I'm moving on to HTML mode.  As much as I'd like to keep email to text only, I feel that time has passed and anyone who can't process html email is a little out of it by now.

So, what's the best font to choose for html email?  I like Calibri, but I know that's not available everywhere.  My question is does it even matter?  Or is there a font that would be more of the "right" choice?  What about font size?  I have two large monitors and mine is set to 14pt, which is fairly large for most people.  So can we discuss this a little?  Thanks.

[Stoic Joker]

Plain text Email annoys the hell out of me...Try to bold a key point and it fails?!? Jesus (at least) get with the 20th century for Christ sake.

I also like (and use) the Calibri font, but (sadly) Times is more reliable as far as everyone having it.

Size is a tricky one, I'm not sure if outlook uses pt or px, but Calibri 12 is what I usually use ... and I haven't had any complaints.

[40hz]

I usually go with a screen optimized font like Ariel in 12 or 14pt.

I'll do Times or Georgia if I want/need to use a serif face. I also really like Consolas and Calibri, but not everybody has them installed.  

Note: I deal with a lot of 50+ people who appreciate a larger font size when reading off today's larger screens. Or at least so they tell me.  

I actually prefer pure text for my own inbound email. But all my friends tell me I'm slowly turning into a dinosaur so consensus is probably with Stoic on it being annoying. FWIW I always send HTML (or both) these days. Most people don't seem to like receiving email that looks like an 1890-vintage telegram.
 

[Stoic Joker]

Most people don't seem to like receiving email that looks like an 1890-vintage telegram.

-40hz (December 22, 2011, 05:08 PM)

  Nailed it!

[40hz]

^ Hey, at least I never sent any text mail in ALL CAPS LIKE ONE OF MY CLIENTS STILL DOES!


(He's old, owns the company, and is a valuable customer. So do I ever complain about it? Heck no!)

[cyberdiva]

I actually prefer pure text for my own inbound email. But all my friends tell me I'm slowly turning into a dinosaur . . .

-40hz (December 22, 2011, 05:08 PM)

I too prefer pure text for my own inbound email.  Hmmm...guess I'm going to have to change my userid from cyberdiva to cyberdino. 

[superboyac]

I actually prefer pure text for my own inbound email. But all my friends tell me I'm slowly turning into a dinosaur . . .

-40hz (December 22, 2011, 05:08 PM)

I too prefer pure text for my own inbound email.  Hmmm...guess I'm going to have to change my userid from cyberdiva to cyberdino. 

-cyberdiva (December 22, 2011, 07:55 PM)

[Renegade]

+1 for Consolas, Calibri, and Arial.

I'd add Verdana and Tahoma as nice, simple fonts that are very readable onscreen.

I would avoid Times and other serif fonts as they are harder to read onscreen. Serifs do better in print.


I have mine set to Calibri 11pt.

[app103]

I usually go with a screen optimized font like Ariel in 12 or 14pt.

-40hz (December 22, 2011, 05:08 PM)

Bingo! Same here.

I would avoid Times and other serif fonts as they are harder to read onscreen. Serifs do better in print.

-Renegade (December 22, 2011, 10:20 PM)

Generally speaking, that is true, although when used sparingly, Georgia makes a great font for headings.

I'd add Verdana and Tahoma as nice, simple fonts that are very readable onscreen.

-Renegade (December 22, 2011, 10:20 PM)

Verdana is a good "fluffing" font for when you want the text to take up more space. It is pretty close to Ariel, but wider. A favorite of high school students when writing reports. I wouldn't use it for a long email or if you tend to be verbose, since the width will make the email seem even longer than it is.

[Renegade]

I usually go with a screen optimized font like Ariel in 12 or 14pt.

-40hz (December 22, 2011, 05:08 PM)

Bingo! Same here.

I would avoid Times and other serif fonts as they are harder to read onscreen. Serifs do better in print.

-Renegade (December 22, 2011, 10:20 PM)

Generally speaking, that is true, although when used sparingly, Georgia makes a great font for headings.

I'd add Verdana and Tahoma as nice, simple fonts that are very readable onscreen.

-Renegade (December 22, 2011, 10:20 PM)

Verdana is a good "fluffing" font for when you want the text to take up more space. It is pretty close to Ariel, but wider. A favorite of high school students when writing reports. I wouldn't use it for a long email or if you tend to be verbose, since the width will make the email seem even longer than it is.

-app103 (December 22, 2011, 10:33 PM)

Yes - I like Georgia. I find it slightly more elegant than Times. It's also slightly larger at the same point size, which I suppose is a part of the appeal.

As for Verdana, yeah... It's quite wide. I've never had to deal with those kinds of issues though -- fluffing reports.

I can't stand Chinese or Japanese fonts for the Roman alphabet. They're simply painful to look at. Many Korean fonts are similarly painful, though in general they are readable with some even being pleasant onscreen. I've really never noticed anything odd in other non-English fonts.

I think the safest font around is Arial Unicode MS. It's simply easy to read and complete. Few machines don't have it, which makes it very safe to use.