How to provide a Large Print format

What is Large Print Format?

Large print publications are documents with a point size of 16 and above.

Large print versions of publications are required by some disabled people, for example people with visual impairments, learning disabilities, dyslexia and problems with coordination or manual dexterity. Large Print may be requested for a variety of documents, particularly printed documents such as Policies, leaflets, letters and forms.

Identifying Need

When organising a meeting or event or publishing a document, it should be standard practice to promote the availability of alternative formats or languages.  See the How To Promote Alternative Formats and Languages section for more information.

In-house versus Professional Support

A number of large print requests can be provided simply by enlarging word versions of documents.  See below for some things to consider as part of producing a large print version.

More visual documents or posters may require specialist support to ensure print quality of the larger size.  The producer of your original document should be able to support this request for example the council Graphics Team.

Providing a Large Print Format

No single font or point size is suitable for everyone. If you are producing information in large print for an individual, ask which size and font best suits their needs.

Simple changes can be made to a word document by selecting all text and making changes as detailed below. Don't attempt to create large print versions by enlarging a standard print document using a photocopier.

• Font and Point size -A minimum size of Arial 16 point is recommended for people with a visual impairment.
• Alignment - Text should be left aligned. Text that is centred or aligned on the right could be missed and justified text can be difficult to read.
• Too much text -If you have a limited amount of space, consider reducing the amount of text before reducing the point size.
• Images and Icons - Consider the clarity of any images and icons.  Do they include text that needs to be enlarged?
• Proofread and Quality Check - Proofread all large print versions to make sure the headings and paragraph text match the page breaks. Large print documents should be designed and produced so that they are as good as the standard version.

Further Information

Further information is available on the following websites:

• Scottish Government
• UK Government
• Sensory Trust