The effect of print size on reading rate for adults and children

Print size is one of the numerous factors affecting reading rate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the print sizes which give maximum reading rates for adults and children. Using a forced scrolling technique to move the reading material and a constant field size of 15 characters, a print size of 0.5 logMAR (N8 at 320 mm) produced maximum reading rate for children in Year 3 at school and for adults. These findings suggest that provided visual acuity is normal, there is no reason for Year 3 children to need larger print than that normally read by adults