Large-Print Puzzles: Why Size Matters

What size is large print, in actual numbers?

For ordinary reading, sight-loss charities commonly define large print as 16 point and above, with 'giant print' at around 24 point. For puzzles we'd argue the bar must sit higher: grid letters of 18 point at minimum, and ideally into the twenties — our own printed grids come out at roughly 24-point letters in squares about 1.5 cm across. Puzzle grids need bigger type than prose because the eye gets no help from context: a paragraph lets you predict the next word, but a grid is hundreds of isolated characters, each of which must be recognised cold.

Size is only half the specification. The other half is contrast and space: near-black ink on white or pale cream (never grey-on-grey, never type over decorative backgrounds), clear space around every character, and — the detail almost everyone misses — a word list and clue list printed as large as the grid itself.

Why do 'large print' puzzle books disappoint?

Because 'large print' on a puzzle book cover usually describes the cover. Open a typical one and you'll find a 20-by-20 word search crammed onto half a page, clue lists in book-sized type, sudoku squares too small to write a confident number in, and grey recycled paper that eats what contrast the ink had. The label is unregulated, so publishers apply it freely.

A quick test in the shop: hold the book at your comfortable reading distance and look at the word list, not the grid. If the list needs the book brought closer, the book has failed. A second test for sudoku: could you write a 7 in the square, at your natural handwriting size, without it touching the lines?

What does Puzzle Pastime do differently?

• Three text sizes on every page — press the biggest 'A' in the header and everything grows, grids included, and the choice is remembered for every visit
• High contrast throughout: near-black letters on warm cream on screen, stark black on white in the printables
• Printed grid squares around 1.5 cm with ~24-point letters — room to write, room to read
• Word lists and clues set as large as the grids they belong to
• Serif numerals in the sudoku keep 1, 7, 6, 8 and 9 clearly distinct at a glance

How can I make any screen easier on the eyes?

• Good light from the side beats bright light from behind the screen — avoid solving with a window at your back
• On tablets and phones, the device's own text-size and zoom settings (under Accessibility) stack happily with our text-size buttons
• Matte screens or a slight downward tilt tame reflections that steal contrast
• For paper puzzles, a soft 2B pencil writes darker with less pressure than a biro — kinder to hands and eyes at once