: Readability as a function of measure and leading I'm writing a thesis, and of course my university has some requirements regarding the typography, specifying in particular the measure (36 pc),

@Connie430

The leading required in school papers is way larger than what people would normally use for a regular text but it allows for more space in-between lines for the teacher to write comments. The best amount of leading for a text really depends on the way your font is drawn (proportions of x-height vs. ascenders and descenders).

Example of different x-heights for the same type size: papress.com/thinkingwithtype/letter/letter_images/fat.gif
Personally, I wouldn't mess too much with the guidelines that are required. I was sometimes frustrated as a graphic designer with these requirements but it makes for visual uniformity.

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@BetL875

See Robert Bringhurst, "The Elements of Typographic Style" version 3.2, section 2.1.2 "Choose a comfortable measure." This book is considered "the bible" of typography. In particular, he says:


... even with generous leading, a line that averages more than 75 or 80 characters is likely to be too long for continuous reading.


This section tells you how to establish a measure (or, conversely, how to establish a point size based on a required measure).

I would bet that there's a copy in your university library. You don't need all of it, but that section will give you what you need.

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