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@Momentum

Color concerns
I agree with Thomas Jacob asking for a larger font size, but I also would like to see print in black and white, not half-tone gray, red or orange. Your magazine is important to me and I wish to read it by myself rather than having someone read it to me. Please give the color of the type consideration.

Len Jacobson, Wisconsin

Disappearing ink
I was diagnosed with MS in 1990 and struggle with my vision. I find computers tough on my eyes overall, so I prefer to read a hard copy of the magazine, but I have the following issue: It’s as though the magazine company or publishing house (if it’s a hardcover book) has run out of ink on my copy—each and every copy of whatever I read! I would rant to my husband that I must have gotten the last run before they refilled the ink. Finally, after a solid year (or two, or three, who keeps count?) of this, I went over to the dark side for a Kindle—and it’s heaven! I can’t do that with Momentum, however.

Your magazine is so fine with its type. I would like to see it thicker. It’s a tease for me whenever you respond to your readers, because you always bold your words. Bliss! When I open the letters section, my eyes always zoom right in on your responses first; then I might try to decipher the rest of the writing or not, depending on my mood.

The articles on the inside pages seem as though they are written with a very light touch of a pencil. It is at the point where my husband and son tag-team to read the articles for me and give me a synopsis.

So not bigger font, just bolder!

Pamela Travers, New Hampshire

Larger letters
I agree with Thomas Jacob’s letter to the editor—larger font size, please!

Brenda Farber, Illinois

Darker type
The font size does not bother me as much as the print. If the lettering were darker, like in your replies, it would make it much easier for me to read.

Patricia LeBlanc, New York

Magnify Momentum
I’ve had MS since 1994 and just got new bifocals, but I have to use a magnifying glass to read Momentum, as well as my mail and newspaper, so I vote for larger font size and fewer articles.

Barbara Connor, Virginia

Bold is better
I just saw the letter in the Summer 2016 issue of Momentum talking about the readability of the articles. I, too, have vision issues and struggle to read the articles, but you kind of solved the problem in your answer. Of all the writing on the letters page, the only thing that wasn’t as hard to read was your answer to that letter. It must have been the same font size, but it was in bold print. That makes a huge difference. The rest of the printing just fades into the background. Why can’t you use bold print in the whole magazine?

Sharon Fuhrman, Tennessee

More articles, more contrast
Per Thomas Jacob’s letter to the editor in the Summer 2016 issue of Momentum, I vote for keeping the font size the way it is in the magazine so that there can be more articles.

I do really like the boldness of your editor’s note, however. I was able to read it with much less strain than needed for the print used in the various letters from readers.

Another thing that can be difficult to read is white letters on a colored background, or anything other than black letters on a white background. Contrast is what I need.

Lynne Morris, North Carolina

Old-school reading
I appreciate the comment by Thomas Jacob, and have the same problem with reading materials like Momentum. In addition, I don’t have a tablet and prefer to read magazines the old-fashioned way rather than on a computer, where I work for too many hours. I wait for windows of time when MS isn’t impairing my vision and read the materials in really good light.

However, the elements that I still find difficult to read with my vision impairment are the ads. Black and white is obviously the most easily read, but some color in the mix doesn’t impede my ability to read. However, when the text and background are too close in color—in other words, low contrast—I can’t discern the words from the background.

To be sensitive to the reader, it would be more logical for advertisements to scale back on the colors for an advertisement that has wider contrast between the background and text.

Ellen Schoonover, Washington

Bigger, please
I would like to see a larger font size in the magazine, as that would make it so much easier for me to read.

Jennifer Wyman, RN, CCM, Kansas

Bigger AND darker
I would prefer more articles than a bigger font size. A suggestion is to use a darker type in the 10.5-point font you are using now. I did notice compared to another magazine that your font is light.

A suggestion for Thomas Jacob that might be helpful is to try using a magnifier when reading the print edition of the magazine.

Margaret Finelt, Texas

Dark and intense
I read the suggestion about increasing the font size and your response. I understand the difficulties that would be created by increasing the font size.

What struck me about the editor’s note was how much easier it was to read with the darker print. The words in bold were still bold enough to stand out for emphasis and the darker print was so easy to see and read. Since you can’t increase the font size, could you increase the darkness/intensity of the print? Hopefully it would not be cost-prohibitive.

Terri Kottal, Colorado

Tags: Fall 2016

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