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Ask HN: Help me find the right font

32 points by kellishaver ↗ HN
I'm a web developer with a severe visual impairment. I'm legally blind. Until recently, I've been using a fairly standard (9pt) font size in my editor, because I liked having all of that space when writing code. However, it forced me to sit rather hunched over and close to the monitor in order to see it, which has started causing neck problems.

A simple solution is to bump up the font size (I already work on a 24in monitor). I can get used to not having as much real-estate to work with, but now I can't find a good monospaced font that looks decent at larger sizes (say, around 14pt). Everything I've tried either looks pixelated, which I find very distracting, or is still too thin to really be that much more legible to me.

I need a medium-weight, monospaced font that won't look terribly pixelated and jagged at larger sizes. Does such a font exist? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

16 comments

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SlyShy
I don't personally use this at a large size, but I have found that it looks pretty nice even when large. http://damieng.com/blog/2008/05/26/envy-code-r-preview-7-cod...

I hope you find something that suits you. Best of luck.

kellishaver
OK, HN is fast and awesome. Both of you have suggested great looking fonts that are far superior at the bigger size to the ones I've been using. Thanks a bunch!
whalesalad
Aside from the font you chooce, make sure to have ClearType on with Windows or Anti-aliasing on with OS X :)
kellishaver
Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions! You've helped me find some great fonts. I really appreciate it.

For those asking, I use TextMate on the macbook and I've been using Sublime in Windows.

ahlatimer
If you're using TextMate, make sure you turn on anti-aliasing. That's probably why the fonts look pixelated at larger sizes. For what it's worth, I just use Monaco at 14pt with anti-aliasing.
iigs
I know it's not what you asked, and I'm sure, given your situation, that you've already investigated your options, but you might take another pass at elevating your monitor.

My eyesight happens to be OK, but I overwork my eyes in a similiar manner - I crank the size down until I have a hard time reading it. I've found that having my monitors up higher encourages me to sit with the best possible posture. YMMV. Good luck.

pbhjpbhj
Emboldening tends to improve readability too. If you're trying to optimise screen real-estate you might try a 2pt smaller font-size but use the bold/black/heavy version of the font.