Miles Tinker

Miles Albert Tinker (August 22, 1893 – March 4, 1977) was an American author. He is "an internationally recognized authority on legibility of print" who published the results of some of the most comprehensive studies on the legibility of print ever conducted. According to Jeremy York, Tinker's work, along with his colleague Donald G. Paterson, "was a driving force behind the standardization of the print industry in the United States".

Tinker conducted studies on the effect of typography on reading at the University of Minnesota for 32 years. "Much of what is known—rather than intuitively felt—about type legibility is derived from Tinker’s work." He published prolifically in various journals during this period. Tinker also authored or co-authored seven books. Legibility of Print, published in 1963, summarized the results of his studies in 1927–1959 and is the "seminal study on how we read printed type".

Tinker was also a critic. In reviewing a book by Wolfe et al., Improving Undergraduate Instruction in Psychology he suggested that the book is more geared towards psychologists than students of psychology He added that the authors' book was "inadequate" and the title "misleading" since they did not provide methods in improving undergraduate instructions; it was more about the programs that are offered in psychology and course information.

Miles Tinker was born in Huntington, Massachusetts. He was trained at top institutions of his time (Stanford, Clark U.) with some of the most famous foundational psychologists of his time including Lewis Terman, E.C. Sanford, and Walter Miles, earning his "B.A. and M.A. degrees from Clark University and the Ph.D. degree from Stanford University".

Miles Tinker was a professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota in 1927–1959. He "conducted one of the most extensive inquiries into the effects of typological factors ever conducted". His work focused on studies of typographic variables, seeking "variations in reader function as a response to typography." "His work was systemic, methodological, and consistent." The results of his studies provide not only "a model for modern investigators into parameters of type," but also allows modern practitioners "to make choices as to typography with reliability as to reading efficiency".

Most of Tinker's work was published in psychological journals. Because these journals were not typically read by members of the printing industry, much of his work was not well known during his lifetime.

Tinker served "as consultant for a number of groups in both government and industry." As of 1963, he was a consulting psychologist in Santa Barbara, California.

A compendium of Tinker's work can be found in Miles Albert Tinker and the Zone of Optimal Typography, by Sutherland, Sandra Wright (1989), Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Washington. This work has been updated with minor changes in 2018 and placed in the public domain (Amazon) for education and extended understanding of Tinker's lifetime of research, not only on typography, but also in psychology, illumination, eye movements, and reading. In fact, Tinker's work did not as much define typography for printers as it standardized such variables for non-printers to learn and understand. The result is a "chicken or the egg?" type discovery. Did Tinker's work support best practices of the printing industry or did it demonstrate the effects of many years of practice in training the eyes of millions of readers? Certain biological effects of visual perception are discussed in Sutherland's work. It is also suggested that Tinker's work would ably serve as a starting point for those who were interested in the effects of transmitted light of today's computers and how the wide variations possible effect reading and even attention on today's technological devices of all kinds. This could keep a researcher busy for another 30 years.