In February 2013, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and
Innovation published a consultation paper on the regulation of
small print consumer contracts (the "Consultation
Paper"). The Consultation Paper has been published on
foot of a recommendation from the Sales Law Review Group that
regulations on print size and related presentational matters in
consumer contracts should be introduced, and that the content of
such regulations should be determined after a consultation process
with business and consumer interests.
The Consultation Paper analyses what is in fact meant by
"small print" and comments that it presents a problem in
consumer contracts where the font size used impairs legibility.
Other key factors when considering small print include the type of
lettering used, spacing and layout and the degree of contrast
between type and background. The Consultation Paper states that
there are two main options for the future legislative regulation of
small print in
