Garamond vs Times New Roman: Best Font Choice for Body Text

Choosing between Garamond and Times New Roman for body text sounds like a small decision. But it affects how long people stay on a page, how comfortable reading feels, and how professional a document looks. These two serif fonts have decades of history, and they handle long-form reading very differently. If you're designing a report, a book, a website, or a thesis, picking the right one matters more than you might think.

What's the real difference between Garamond and Times New Roman?

Garamond is a Renaissance-era typeface designed in the 16th century by Claude Garamond. It has a lighter stroke weight, a slightly smaller x-height, and a more elegant, open feel. Times New Roman was created in 1931 by Stanley Morison for The Times newspaper in London. It was designed to be compact and readable at small sizes in print journalism.

Both are serif fonts, but their design philosophies are different. Garamond was built for books and scholarly text. Times New Roman was built to save space in newspaper columns while staying legible. That origin story still shapes how each font behaves in body text today.

Which one is easier to read in long-form text?

For most printed documents and PDFs, Garamond tends to feel more comfortable for extended reading. Its letterforms are more open, and the rhythm between letters is slightly more relaxed. Many book publishers still use Garamond or its digital variants like Adobe Garamond or EB Garamond for novels and nonfiction.

Times New Roman works well in print at smaller sizes which is exactly what it was designed for. But on screen, it can feel tight and dense, especially at body text sizes between 12px and 16px. Its condensed letter shapes and smaller counters can make long paragraphs feel heavy on a monitor.

That said, readability is not only about the font. Line height, line length, font size, and contrast all play a part. A poorly set paragraph in Garamond can be harder to read than a well-set paragraph in Times New Roman. If you're looking at how different serif fonts compare in body text, our comparison of Garamond against other serifs covers similar territory.

How does each font look at different sizes?

Garamond usually needs to be set slightly larger than Times New Roman to match the same visual size. Its lower x-height means the lowercase letters appear smaller at the same point size. If you're using Garamond at 12pt, it might look more like Times New Roman at 11pt to some readers.

This is important when choosing font size for body text. A common practice is to use Garamond at 11.5pt or 12pt for print, while Times New Roman works fine at 11pt or 11.5pt. On the web, Garamond often benefits from a base size of 17px or 18px, while Times New Roman can work at 16px.

Font size comparison at a glance

Garamond at 12pt: Appears slightly smaller than Times New Roman at 12pt. Consider bumping it up.
Times New Roman at 12pt: Looks standard and compact. Familiar to most readers.
Both at 12pt on screen: Garamond may feel lighter and more spaced out; Times New Roman may feel denser.

Is Times New Roman still a good choice for body text?

Yes, but with context. Times New Roman is still widely accepted for academic papers, legal documents, and government submissions. If your formatting guidelines specify it, there's no reason to fight it. It's legible, familiar, and space-efficient.

The problem is that Times New Roman has become associated with default settings and a lack of effort. Many design professionals avoid it not because it's bad, but because it signals "I didn't think about typography." For internal reports or formal submissions, that may not matter. For published work or branded documents, it can.

When does Garamond make more sense for body text?

Garamond is a strong pick when you want body text that looks refined without being distracting. It's a popular choice for book typesetting, academic journals, magazine features, and any printed material that prioritizes a smooth reading experience.

On the web, Garamond can work well if you pair it with the right font stack and size it generously. However, not all operating systems have Garamond installed. If you're not using web fonts, you may end up with a fallback like Arial or a generic serif. This is where a web font service or a modern alternative comes in handy. If you're exploring more modern alternatives inspired by Garamond, that article covers several options.

What about printing does the font choice matter more on paper?

In print, the differences between these two fonts are more visible. Garamond's lighter strokes and wider spacing create a calmer texture on the page. Times New Roman's tighter spacing can save space, which is useful when you're paying for print by the page.

For books, Garamond (or its variants) is the more common choice. For business letters, memos, and contracts, Times New Roman is often expected. The medium matters: a font that works beautifully in a printed novel might not hold up the same way on a laptop screen.

Do readers actually notice the difference?

Most readers won't say, "That's Garamond." But they will notice when text feels tiring, cramped, or hard to scan. Typography works best when it's invisible when the reader absorbs the content without fighting the font. In studies on reading comfort, fonts with larger x-heights and open counters tend to perform well on screen. Times New Roman has the larger x-height but tighter counters, while Garamond has the opposite.

A practical test: set the same paragraph in both fonts at the same size, print it out, and read both for five minutes. The one your eyes prefer is the better choice for your use case. This kind of comparison between serif fonts for real projects often comes down to this kind of simple testing.

Common mistakes people make when choosing between these fonts

Using the same size for both. Because Garamond has a smaller x-height, it needs to be set larger. Using 12pt for both will make Garamond look too small.
Ignoring line spacing. Garamond benefits from slightly more generous line height (1.4–1.5). Times New Roman can work at 1.2–1.3.
Picking based on reputation alone. "Garamond is elegant" or "Times New Roman is standard" these are starting points, not rules. Test both with your actual content.
Forgetting about availability. Not every system has Garamond. If you're sharing documents or building a website, plan for fallbacks.
Overlooking the audience. Academic readers expect Times New Roman in certain formats. Book readers expect something like Garamond. Match the font to the context.

Tips for setting body text in either font

Set Garamond at 11.5–12pt for print and 17–18px for web.
Set Times New Roman at 11–12pt for print and 16px for web.
Use a line length of 50–75 characters per line for comfortable reading.
Add more line spacing for Garamond than you would for Times New Roman.
Test both fonts on the actual medium paper or screen before deciding.
Consider using small caps or slightly adjusted letter spacing for headings with either font.
If using on the web, load the font via a service or provide a solid fallback stack like Georgia, serif.

You can learn more about the technical differences between these typefaces from Times New Roman on Wikipedia, which also covers its design history and intended use cases.