Guidelines for Large Print Materials

Large Print Material

A large print version of a book is more than simply putting a book on a photocopying machine and enlarging it. A large print book is reformatted and resized to ensure that usability for people with low vision is optimized. It is important to add that people with low vision are not the only people who benefit from this conversion.

Converting a textbook to large print is truly an art. It requires the designer to be reflective of the book’s content and design, and consider how it will be used within a classroom. The Clearinghouse for Specialized Media & Technology (CSMT) contracts out for large print conversion services with very specific guidelines and specifications. Typically, in our materials you should expect the following:

• Large print books produced and designed for students with low vision must maintain the look and feel of traditional textbooks used by other students. The text flow and page numbering must retain their original format.
  
  
• All materials assigned to be produced in large print must retain integrity. Margins must be 0.5" minimum, and no printing shall be in the gutter or folded area.
  
  
• Default font size of core content is 20.
  
  
• Paper used shall show good contrast and sharpness of print by using a white matte, highly opaque paper with a minimum of 28-pound weight.
  
  
• Print quality shall be maximized for contrast, boldness, and sharpness such that edges shall be smooth and defined without jagged edges (non-pixelated).
  
  
• Illustrations, photographs, and other graphics shall be printed in color if the original graphic is in color.
  
  
• All photos should be of high contrast.
  
  

Return Information

Return large print books, postage-free, by writing the following in the upper right section of the package:
"FREE MATTER FOR THE BLIND OR HANDICAPPED.”

California Department of Education
CSMT Media Warehouse
3740 Seaport Blvd., #20
West Sacramento, CA 95691