If you find it challenging to read regular-sized text, a large print edition of a printed book may help. The size of the book itself is usually no larger than standard print books, but the size of the font used for its text is larger. Large print editions are often published simultaneously with new books in standard type and are available from online retailers or local bookstores that carry books.
Large print editions of general interest fiction and nonfiction can be produced by simply setting the same text as appears in regular type, only in larger font-size: 14 points is a fairly common choice. A children’s picture book might be reprinted using extra-large pages and type sizes, providing lots of space for illustrations or photographs on each page.
Large prints enable people who struggle with reading standard-sized texts to enjoy reading again – or perhaps for the first time. You may have macular degeneration or glaucoma, among other vision problems, if you require large prints. Even if your eyesight has not yet deteriorated this far, you may still want to try out one of these editions if you already know that small fonts give you difficulty.
The idea behind large print editions and audiobooks is inclusivity, ensuring that as many people as possible can enjoy access to literature. People who find it hard to read small fonts should not have their choices limited by which works they can get hold of in formats that suit them best.
A popular feature found in most large-print books and e-books intended to simulate such copies—a high level of contrast between text and background—also improves readability for some low-vision users while reducing eyestrain.