Hi Jackie:
Sorry, that's a VERY old article, which has been updated several times. The
reference to "the space above each body text para" should read "the space
BELOW each body text para."
In the old days, I used to use space above. That's a technique known as
"leading" or, correctly, "extra lead" that comes from the printing industry
at the time of hot-metal Linotype presses. Industry practice when
electronic typesetting began was to place the "spacing" ABOVE.
Microsoft Word does not always behave correctly if you do that. After years
of trying to persuade Microsoft to get it right, we all gave up and moved
our spacing to BELOW the paragraph
I just forgot to update that bit of
the article.
So now, we tend to define 10 pts space BELOW on every style, and 0 space
above. For headings, we tend to define twice the font height ABOVE as well
as ten points below.
The problem is this: An electronic typesetter SHOULD suppress the extra
lead (space above) for every paragraph that lands at the top of a page.
Thus the top of the text lines up neatly on the top margin of the page.
Word instead uses a complicated formula to decide whether or not it will
suppress the space above. Half the time, it gets it wrong, which gives you
a "ragged" top margin. Since we can't guarantee that Word will always do
the right thing, we found it easier to switch and put our spacing below the
style.
On Headings, you need space above, since the amount of space you should use
is a multiple of the font height of the heading: in other words, it's
different for each level of heading. We normally recommend "twice" the font
height, so if Heading 1 is set in 22 point font, you would put 44 pts space
above on Heading 1. Heading 2 might be 18 point type, and get 36 points
above. Both would have ten points below.
So the formula for inter-paragraph spacing would become "three quarters of
the Body Text line height", instead of "three quarters of the line height."
Because the line height will vary with the font size of the largest
character on the line.
As to "how do you know what the line height is", well I think it says
somewhere in that article that it is "about" 120 per cent of the font
height. The actual measurement is set by the font designer, who nominates a
series of measurements in the font.
Fonts all refer to the "base line" of the character, which is the bottom of
letters that do not have a descender -- so: the line on which the letters O
and U sit. The letters g and j have descenders which extend below the base
line. In some fonts, various letters extend ABOVE the notional "top line"
of the font. An example might be f: in some fonts the top of the 'f' is
above the top line.
The font designer will also allow for a space above the letter sufficient to
be pleasing to the eye when the letters of his font appear in adjacent
lines. This measurement is expressed as a percentage of the font height
above the base line. Word reads this information from each of the fonts of
the characters on each line, and automatically sets its line height to
accommodate the font designer's preference, for the tallest letter on the
line.
For a line of Times New Roman text with a uniform size, the line height
works out to be 120 per cent of the font height. Most other fonts are at or
close to this setting. So for 10 pt text, the line height is 12 points and
thus the inter-paragraph spacing should be nine points. For 12 point text,
the line height is 14.4 pts and the space after should be 11 points, and for
14 point text it should be 16.8 and the space after 12.6.
Fashions change, in printing as in everything else. Since that article was
written, page designers have opened their text out even more. I would be
inclined to use spacing EQUAL to the line height these days. I find the
measures suggested in that article now look a little dated and cramped. On
the other hand, the use of colour in text is much more prevalent than it was
when that article was written; body text is much more likely to be
sans-serif than serif these days, and heading fonts are smaller than they
were.
But perhaps the most important thing I would say is "It's very much a
personal preference." If it looks nice to you, then stick with it: there
are no rules in this game. White space is the greatest emphasis you can use
in print. Judicious use of it is one of the real secrets to a page that
communicates well. Rather than trying to use "rules" for this, I strongly
encourage you to print a page and look at it. Your own eyes are the best
way there is to take this measurement. This is your page: your work -- if
it looks right to YOU, it IS right. Don't let anyone tell you different.
Hope this helps
On 20/7/05 7:29 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed), "Jackie D"
Hi
My query might seem basic to you Word experts but I am new to Formatting
Styles, so please bear with me!
I've been reading 'Word Templates: A Guide to their Creation' by John
McGhie, which I have found incredibly useful. But I'm a bit confused about
his suggestions for spacing text under Format Styles>Modify>Paragraph.
I have no trouble understanding spacing above and below headings but I have
come unstuck with the spacing suggestions when it applies to body text.
John suggests putting no space above and 9 pts below for Book Antiqua 12pt
body text. Does this mean the space below a block of text (i.e. a paragraph)
or is it referring to the space between the lines?
John also suggests setting "the space above each body text para to three
quarters of its line height" for a modern looking document. I'm a bit
confused by this also. Is he contradicting the idea of no space above? Or is
he making a new suggestion entirely? I can't tell. And, sorry if I'm being
dumb, but how do I know what the line height is? Is it equal to the point
size of the text?
I'd really appreciate it if John McGhie could post a reply!
--
Please reply to the newsgroup to maintain the thread. Please do not email
me unless I ask you to.
John McGhie <
[email protected]>
Microsoft MVP, Word and Word for Macintosh. Consultant Technical Writer
Sydney, Australia +61 4 1209 1410
