3. Use a clear, firm tone, but don’t "shout" with capitalizations

When lots of customers make the same mistake, it can be frustrating. Unfortunately, programs often respond by rewriting the important parts of their instructions IN ALL CAPS.

How do I do this?

• Research has found that the most effective way to emphasize a point is to boldface in both upper and lower case.
• If your computer system doesn’t have a boldface feature, try setting your headings off with white space above and below.

Why do this?

• Italics, underlining, ALL UPPER CASE, reverse (white on a solid background) and shadow types are not useful because they increase reading strain when used in small type sizes.
• Research has shown that it takes people much longer to read ALL CAPS than upper and lower case.
• Readers see your headings first, as they scan the document. It is the most important part of your document to need a good design.

Do	Don’t
It’s time to renew your certificate. Please follow the instructions below.	FAILURE TO RESPOND TO THIS NOTICE WILL RESULT IN THE NON-RENEWAL OF YOUR CERTIFICATE.