Does a small website really need Gentium Plus?

I really care about how easy it is to read. Gentium is the most beautiful and easy-to-read typeface I’ve come across. Use is made of Gentium Book Basic. I’ve noticed that the files for Gentium Book Basic Plus are a lot bigger than the files for basic. Will I be able to read my small, low-traffic blog better if I use the Plus version of the typeface?

Maybe. The main difference between Basic and Plus is the range of characters supported, but that would rarely affect an English-language blog. (see the Gentium FAQ)

One difference that may affect you is that version 6+ of Gentium has significantly improved hinting, which may make it much more readable on Windows at low resolutions. There are no Basic versions of the v6 fonts - the Basic fonts are only v5. With WOFF2 compression and modern browser technology, there is less need to have a trimmed-down version (Basic) for web use. We have no plans to create v6 versions with the Basic character set.

I suggest you try out the v6 WOFF2 fonts and see how they look for your blog. If they are not an improvement, or you feel the fonts aren’t loading fast enough (due to size), then you can always go back to v5 Basic.

Hope that helps.

Thanks from pubtv