Garamond is more compact and classical; Palatino is wider, warmer, and adds roughly 20 more pages per 80,000-word book. Both are top-tier book fonts, but they serve different purposes. Garamond is the publishing industry’s default — subtle and invisible. Palatino is more generous, with wider letterforms and more open counters (the spaces inside letters like ‘o’ and ‘e’), making it slightly easier to read for extended periods.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Garamond | Palatino |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | 1530s, Claude Garamond (France) | 1949, Hermann Zapf (Germany) |
| Classification | Old-style serif | Old-style/Humanist serif |
| Feel | Classical, elegant, compact | Warm, open, generous |
| x-Height | Smaller (0.43×) | Larger (0.47×) |
| Character width | Narrower | Wider |
| Stroke contrast | Low | Moderate |
| Pages (80K, 11pt, 5.5×8.5) | ~280 | ~300 |
| Characters per line | ~67 | ~62 |
| Readability | Excellent | Slightly better for extended reading |
| Availability | Free (EB Garamond) + commercial | System font (most OS) + Google Fonts |
When to use Garamond
- Long manuscripts (100K+ words) — Garamond’s compactness saves 20+ pages vs Palatino, reducing costs
- Literary fiction — the industry standard, doesn’t draw attention
- Historical fiction — period-appropriate for classical settings
- When page count is a concern — Garamond is one of the most efficient readable fonts
- Series with consistent formatting — if you started in Garamond, stay in Garamond
When to use Palatino
- Books prioritizing readability — Palatino’s larger x-height and wider letters reduce eye strain
- Romance — the warmth feels inviting; readers consuming 15+ books/year appreciate the openness
- YA fiction — the larger apparent size at the same point size helps younger readers
- Short books — Palatino’s wider set adds pages, making a thin book feel more substantial
- Large print editions — Palatino scales up beautifully because it was designed with generous proportions
- All-day readers — if your audience reads for hours at a time, Palatino is more comfortable
Cambric includes both Garamond and Palatino. Switch between them instantly and see the exact page count difference before you export.
Get Cambric — $199
Page count and cost impact
The 20-page difference between Garamond and Palatino has real cost implications:
| Metric | Garamond (80K words) | Palatino (80K words) |
|---|---|---|
| Pages (5.5×8.5) | ~280 | ~300 |
| KDP print cost | $4.72 | $5.00 |
| Cost per 1,000 copies | $4,720 | $5,000 |
| Cost per 5,000 copies | $23,600 | $25,000 |
The difference is $0.28 per copy. For a single book, it’s negligible. For a prolific romance author publishing 4 books per year and selling 20,000 copies, it’s $5,600/year.
Trick for thin books
If your manuscript is short (under 50,000 words) and you want more physical heft, switch to Palatino. A 40,000-word novella goes from ~140 pages (Garamond) to ~150 pages (Palatino) — not huge, but combined with a 5×8 trim, it makes a noticeable difference.
The apparent size illusion
At the same point size (11pt), Palatino looks larger than Garamond because of its larger x-height. This means:
- Palatino 10.5pt ≈ Garamond 11pt in visual size
- You can use a slightly smaller point size with Palatino and maintain the same readability
- This partially offsets the page count difference
Free alternatives
| Font | Free Version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Garamond | EB Garamond | Google Fonts |
| Palatino | — (Palatino is a system font on Mac/Windows) | Pre-installed |
Palatino ships with macOS and Windows. EB Garamond is free from Google Fonts. Neither requires purchasing a font license.
Preview both with the Book Font Explorer.
The verdict
- Garamond for efficiency and tradition. If you’re publishing a long book, a multi-book series, or want the invisible typography that lets the writing speak, Garamond is the right choice.
- Palatino for warmth and readability. If comfort matters more than compactness — romance, YA, short books that need heft — Palatino is excellent.
- Both are professional. No reader will think “wrong font.” The choice is about economics and subtle aesthetics, not right vs. wrong.
Related guides
- Garamond vs Baskerville — the other common comparison
- Best fonts for fiction — all-genre overview
- Font size for books — sizing guide
- Book Font Explorer — preview fonts interactively
- KDP Book Calculator — page count and cost