Ecofont: Saving the Planet, Sensibly

"Ecofont"
SPRANQ (undated)

"The prints we make for our 'daily use' not only use paper, but also ink. According to SPRANQ creative communications (Utrecht, The Netherlands) your ink cartridges (or ink toner) could last longer.

"SPRANQ has therefore developed a new font: the Ecofont...."



Ecofont isn't likely to win any beauty contests, but it's readable, and seems like a practical way to use less resources without doing less. Pretty good idea, actually.

One thing I appreciate about Ecofont is that the designers remembered that the purpose of a font is, mostly, to be legible enough to read.

An Associated Press story says that the company tried using very thin letters, and zebra-striped letters, but: " 'It turns out that it's necessary to preserve the size and outline of letters to keep them readable,' company co-founder Gerjon Zomer says."

More, at:

"Dutch company punches holes in font to save ink"
Associated Press (December 22, 2008)