Readability of newspaper headlines printed in capitals and in lower case

Abstract

"The first study dealt with five word single-column headlines set in 24 point bold face, half in upper case and half in lower case, to be read by tachistoscopic exposure at the normal reading distance of 15 inches. The results disclosed an 18.9 per cent difference in favor of the lower case headlines… . The third study used multi-column or banner headlines set in 60 point bold face which were exposed at varying distances from six feet to seventeen feet. At a distance of six feet, the legibility of the lower case banner headline was 5.3 per cent greater than the legibility of those set in upper case. At distances from ten to fourteen feet, both kinds of headlines were equally legible. At a distance of seventeen feet, however, the upper case headlines proved to be more legible." (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)