Arial Versus Helvetica Versus something else - Is Helvetica worth buying?
Should I purchase Helvetica?
I've been in a debate with a friend about Arial versus Helvetica. Or paid fonts in general.
Can I get some proof I can actually see that Helvetica -- or something else-- is better than the built-in Arial. Or Arial narrow, etc.
I've been in a debate with a friend about Arial versus Helvetica. Or paid fonts in general.
Can I get some proof I can actually see that Helvetica -- or something else-- is better than the built-in Arial. Or Arial narrow, etc.
ASKER
HI Jackie Man:
What specifically makes Helvetica worth buying if a person is in print media.
A font is a font. No? Are there special characters that Helvetica has that Arial doesn't have? Or the alternatives mentioned in the article?
What does Helvetica offer print media people that Arial doesn't?
What specifically makes Helvetica worth buying if a person is in print media.
A font is a font. No? Are there special characters that Helvetica has that Arial doesn't have? Or the alternatives mentioned in the article?
What does Helvetica offer print media people that Arial doesn't?
SOLUTION
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Yes, from a typographer's point of view, Helvetica is better than Arial for print.
But if you can't spot the difference between them in under 2 seconds, then it does not matter for you.
The vast majority of people don't know (or care) about Arial vs. Helvetica.
Bottom line: if you really want to use a specific font, then you should buy it.
If you're happy with a slightly different, but free font, then just use the free font.
But if you can't spot the difference between them in under 2 seconds, then it does not matter for you.
The vast majority of people don't know (or care) about Arial vs. Helvetica.
Bottom line: if you really want to use a specific font, then you should buy it.
If you're happy with a slightly different, but free font, then just use the free font.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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Comic Sans doesn't get enough love. :-=>
As several people have noted, Arial and Helvetica are virtually indistinguishable for most uses. However, if your application needs Unicode symbols (or may need them in the future), Arial Unicode MS would be a prudent choice.
As a comparison, the "normal" Arial font that comes with Windows has just under 4,000 characters, whereas Arial Unicode MS has 38,917 characters. I leave it to you to assess whether that advantage would be worth the licencing fee.
Unicode is a standard that is still developing, but organizes a huge number of symbols in various "planes" to accommodate characters used in many languages as well as a large selection of symbols for special uses. You can learn more about Unicode fonts here.
As a comparison, the "normal" Arial font that comes with Windows has just under 4,000 characters, whereas Arial Unicode MS has 38,917 characters. I leave it to you to assess whether that advantage would be worth the licencing fee.
Unicode is a standard that is still developing, but organizes a huge number of symbols in various "planes" to accommodate characters used in many languages as well as a large selection of symbols for special uses. You can learn more about Unicode fonts here.
If yes, paying for a font does make sense and especially for Helvetica which are very popular among designers.
However, it is only personal preference for choosing which font to be your favorite. Anyway, there are many alternatives which look nice and my guess that you have already read the article in the link below.
https://www.extensis.com/blog/top-10-font-alternatives-to-helvetica