As for the bit about Word not offering all the available fonts? I just looked at the dialog in Word 2010 and it seems to behave similar to Captivate. By that, I mean that as I arrow through the list and observe the Font Style dialog, I do see that some fonts list Semibold. Granted, I noticed Myriad Pro didn’t, but others did. So I’m unsure as to why that would be. Then again, I’ve only recently begun to make sense of this murky topic!

Thanks again… Rick

With the advent of the ability to digitally manipulate characters, changing characters in a typeface family to appear thicker or darker became “making the characters bold” and as such applies a thickening or darkening effect on otherwise un-emphasized typeface characters. So, if one finds “Arial Black” and compares it to the bold effect applied to “Arial,” one will see differences (as well they should). Purists will find and use the version of the font that was designed to be bolder or darker and will not apply a computer generated effect to bolden or darken the characters. Afterall, the typeface artisan never intended someone to take the typeface characters so carefully and so arduously designed and make them darker by thickening the shape.

You provide the best advice at the end of your blog: don’t mix the two. If you do, the end product may appear differently than you intended.

Due to the temporal nature of the fruits of our labors most of us capriciously use “applied emphasis” in lieu of typefaces designed to be bolder and hence emphasized (in relative terms). Not so much a condemnation of the lack of permanence in our work rather it is a resignation to the vagaries of contemporary production and the painful realization that the products we produce will rarely last longer than a few milli-centuries.

Sorry!