Add custom font sizes

27 January 2013, 02:00

If your work involves using irregular-sized fonts — 8 point, for example, or 31 point — you might be frustrated that you can’t just select these from the dropdown list in most applications. Instead you must type them each time into the font size field.

There is, of course, a solution. Just open TextEdit, then hit Command+T to open the fonts palette. Click the cog icon at the bottom left, then select Edit Sizes on the menu that appears.

In the dialog box that slides into view, enter the new size into the relevant field, then click the plus button beneath. Alas, there is a caveat — the text field automatically rounds-up or down to the nearest integer, so you can’t add 9.5, for example. But you could add 6, if you regularly use tiny fonts, or 19, if you find that 18 point size isn’t quite right.

Once the size has been added it’ll be available in the toolbars and dialog boxes of most if not all apps — even Microsoft Word.

Of course, you can also delete sizes if you want too — those you’ve added and those that are built in. Just repeat the steps above to open the fonts palette, then select them and click the minus button.

BONUS TIP: Did you know that you can click and drag the corner of the Fonts palette to shrink it to a simple toolbar? Take a look at this movie to see this in action.


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