In reply to:

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... arial is OK but it looks a bit plain...

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Hi Spookleman,

Not knowing what your site is about this may not apply, but... For any areas with more than one or two line of text a sans serif font is preferable, i.e. Arial, Verdana, Helvetica. As you say, they look plain but by being plain make it easier on the eye for the visitor.

Serif fonts, such as Times/Times Roman can be used for headlines, image credits, or where the text content is only 1-3 lines.

A good guide is your daily newspaper, the press take great care in ensuring the paragraphs are easily readable (and not a strain).

Bottom line, your site, your choice.

PS
If you get into CSS you'll find it affords you greater control over how text appears.