Changing the size of text using html tags

Using Size
 Using Size plus
Using Size minus
Using Heading
size 1
 size +1
size -7
Heading 6
size 2
 size +2
size -6
Heading 5
(default) size 3
 size +3
size -5

Heading 4
size 4
 size +4
size -4

Heading 3
size 5
 size +5
size -3

Heading 2
size 6
 size +6
size -2

Heading 1
size 7
 size +7
size -1
(there is no Heading 7)

Headings are set using the format box rather than the size box. Confusingly they work the other way from text size, with Heading 1 being as big as it can be, and the rest getting progressively smaller as they descend to Heading 6. There is no Heading 7. Headings also embolden the text. They are useful for partially sighted and blind computer users as the Heading tags are read by their special screen reading software with more emphasis than type which has only been enlarged.

Explaining size plus or minus

Using Size plus or minus
Resulting Size
(size 3) -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7
= size 1
(size 3) -1
= size 2
none
= (default) size 3
(size 3) +1
= size 4
(size 3) +2
= size 5
(size 3) +3
= size 6
(size 3) +4, +5, +6, +7
= size 7

Default size (size 'none') is usually size 3. Your readers can alter the default value from 3 to make it larger or smaller depending on their preference, maybe for reasons of eyesight or monitor size.

Using the size box gives an absolute value, but using the plus or minus values gives a relative value depending on the users default setting. When you use size plus, you add the value to the default size of (probably) 3.
Absolute size cannot be less than 1 or more than 7, so results of 8, 9 or 10 are shown as 7.
You get the same results for (default 3) + 4 = size 7
as you do for (default 3) + 7 = size 10 giving result of size 7.

Size minus works the same way, in reverse.
If you start with the small default of size 3:
(default 3) - 1 = size 2
(default 3) - 2 = size 1
(default 3) - 3 = size 0, gives a result of size 1, as does all the rest of the minus values of -4, -5, -6 and -7.

If the default size set by your reader is different, then the sizes will differ from the above table, but the hierarchy of sizes should at least remain consistent. That is, subheadings at +2 will be +2 larger than the main body of default text.

If default text is size 3, the subheads will be (default 3) + 2 = size 5
If default text is size 4, the subheads will be (default 4) + 2 = size 6

No matter what size the default is set to, the actual size cannot vary beyond the absolute values of 1 through to 7. In the extreme case of someone setting the default to an enormous 7, then all the plus values will result in similar 7s, but the minus values will be visibly different down to 7 - 6 giving size 1.

Other Sizing Methods

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are replacing font size tags, providing much finer control. Type can also be represented using Flash or as pictures of text, usually'.gif' files. These cannot contribute to search engine results and are harder to edit but do permit the use of unusual typefaces at any size.

'Think different' Mac and PC font sizes

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