Begin a digital-comics font proof with the edition's text and the intended reading conditions. Set out a sequence that covers required characters, specification changes, optical size and adjustable reading text. Use the same passages again after corrections, with notes on the font and settings beside each specimen.
Check the required characters
Prepare a coverage specimen from the dialogue, captions, titles and sound-effect words that will be set as text. Include the full translated wording rather than an alphabet chosen for convenience. Mark doubtful characters in context and resolve them before refining individual line breaks. For each correction, return to the complete passage and compare it with the supplied wording.
The Unicode Consortium's Unicode 17.0 release announcement, dated September 9, 2025, reports 4,803 added characters and an encoded total of 159,801. Its four added scripts were Beria Erfe, Tolong Siki, Tai Yo and Sidetic, bringing the supported-script total to 172. Beria Erfe is used by Zaghawa communities in central Africa, and Tolong Siki by Kurukh communities in northeast India. Tai Yo is the traditional script of Tai Yo communities in northern Vietnam; Sidetic is a historic script used in ancient Anatolia. The Consortium describes support for these scripts as an initial step in bridging the digital divide for their users.
The Consortium's Unicode 18.0 announcement, dated September 16, 2026, reports 13,007 additions and a total of 172,808 encoded characters. That release includes nine added emoji characters, code charts, updated data files and updated specifications. The Consortium reports no added algorithms in this release, but identifies added data files for Seal and other East Asian scripts and an accompanying annex, UAX #60, Data for East Asian Scripts.
Check specification changes
Microsoft's OpenType change log lists Version 1.9.1 as released in May 2024. Under its script-tag entries, additions for Unicode 15.0 and 16.0 appear alongside additions for Unicode 17.0 and 18.0 explicitly marked as post-release updates. Other entries clarify rounding calculated values and the optional status of supplemental deltas for design-space corners.
Inspect optical size
Microsoft's registered optical-size axis reference describes an axis used to vary design for different text sizes, with a scale in points. It says the physical size on a display may differ from the document or application's intended size because of scaling methods or intended viewing distance. Microsoft's recommended factors include platform scaling, the translation of document and platform units to 1/72 of a physical inch, and typical reading distances for applications and devices.
Prepare a caption specimen and a title specimen at their intended reading sizes. Inspect the same word under repeatable conditions, noting the size, display scaling and viewing distance. Start with the spaces inside the letters and then compare the surrounding strokes. Hold the other settings steady while judging optical size so that the comparison addresses a specific choice.
Microsoft also recommends that software provide a way to override automatic optical-size selection for circumstances including intended use, known viewing distance and accessibility. Where an override is available, compare it with the automatic result and record the selection used in the accepted specimen.
Test reader spacing
The Department for Education's text-spacing guidance describes a test in which increased spacing causes no loss of content or functionality. It specifies line spacing of at least 1.5 times the font size, spacing after paragraphs of at least 2 times, letter spacing of at least 0.12 times and word spacing of at least 0.16 times.
For adjustable web text, run the spacing test on complete captions and reading passages. Inspect the passage from beginning to end, including paragraph boundaries and the final line. The Department's example describes text overflowing a container that does not expand with its content. Record any such failure against the passage, correct the layout and repeat the same test before accepting the result.
Review e-book policy context
The European Commission's EU digital-regulations reference includes e-books in its list of products and services covered by the European Accessibility Act. The Commission says it consulted stakeholders and accessibility experts and took account of obligations deriving from the UN convention on persons with disabilities. It states that the directive had to become law in EU countries by 28 June 2022 and that countries must apply the measures from 28 June 2025.