Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Leading
Leading is described as the space between lines of typography within a paragraph or
block. It is a historical term derived from the process of using metal type characters
for printing. Strips of lead were used as horizontal spacers between the lines of metal
text. It is important not to have too much or too little leading between lines. Too little
means ascenders and descenders on consecutive lines may collide, whereas too much
means that the lines are overly spread out, causing the eye to become distracted when
moving between different lines of copy.
Paragraphs
It is thought that legibility is better if you use align-left, ragged-right type alignment.
Force-justified text causes the spacing between words to be altered to fit the copy and
so results in unpleasant 'rivers' of white space running through the text.
When using aligned-left text, aim for consistent and rhythmic line endings. Avoid the
strange and awkward-looking shapes that occur when the default settings of a desktop
publishing program are used. For best results, a long, short, long rag shape aids legib-
ility. This can be achieved by using line breaks within the text (Shift + Return) to
shuffle the text around without creating unwanted paragraph breaks.
It is best to indicate paragraphs clearly, but take care not to upset the visual consisten-
cy of the copy. Indenting is the most common way to do this, along with adding space
between paragraphs within a piece of text. The normal rule is to indent the text to the
same measure as the point size; for example, 12-point text would require an indent of
12 points.
Strive to achieve text without widows or orphans, as they create inconsistent text
blocks and interfere with the flow of reading. They produce pages that look ugly and
ill-considered. By definition, a widow is a single word or a very short line at the end
of a paragraph, while an orphan is a line detached from the rest of its paragraph; this
could be the first line of a paragraph at the bottom of a column of text or the final
line of a paragraph at the top of a new column of text (it is a line of text left alone,
separated from the paragraph it belongs to). The best way to avoid these is to either
shuffle the text around by looking at line endings and adding line breaks or to subtly
change the tracking across the text by a minute amount. This will rectify the problem
without affecting the appearance of the text.
