Why Large Print Editions Matter and How I’m Formatting Mine
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”
— George R. R. Martin
Large print books are not only for older readers. They are an important way to make any book more accessible for anyone who struggles with small type, whether because of vision changes, eye strain, or learning differences. Creating these editions takes more than simply making the font bigger. There are standards that help guide what counts as large print.
When I decided to create a large print edition of Shelved, I looked closely at those standards to make sure I was doing it properly. It turns out that accessibility organizations recommend a minimum of 18-point type for large print, along with clear, sans serif fonts and left-justified paragraph settings. Cream or off-white paper is preferred to reduce glare, and the text itself should avoid italics and decorative typefaces that make reading more difficult. Line spacing, generous margins, and strong contrast are all part of the picture too.
American Council of the Blind Large Print Standards
RNIB Large and Giant Print Standards
I have been reformatting Shelved with all of this in mind. I chose the Lexend font for its clarity and readability, and am just going through the manuscript line by line to replace italics with bold for emphasis and to ensure that the line breaks are where they need to be. Chapter headings have been adjusted for consistency, and the overall font size has been increased. The result is a thicker book, over 300 pages compared to the standard softcover edition that was under 200, but one that is easier to read without eye strain.
It is a reminder that large print is a real investment in accessibility. The page count goes up and the cost of printing is a little higher, but that trade-off means more readers can comfortably enjoy the book. For us, making our titles available in multiple formats such as large print, eBook, and bilingual editions is part of a long-term publishing plan that is about inclusivity and reach.
Lexend is a sans serif font family created to improve reading fluency and reduce visual stress. It was originally developed through research into how typography affects reading speed and comprehension. The letters have wide spacing, open shapes, and consistent stroke widths, which make them easier for the eye to process. Because of this, Lexend is often recommended for readers with dyslexia, visual processing differences, or low vision. It is freely available through Google Fonts and has become a popular choice for accessible publishing.
Get the Lexend Font from Google Fonts
The large print edition of Shelved will be coming soon, and I will be applying what I have learned here to future titles as well. Making sure readers can actually see and enjoy the words on the page feels like a simple, but important, way to say: these books are for you.
Visit littlegoodbyes.ca to see all of our current books and upcoming editions.
