Graphics Standards - Working With Text
Never before has professional-level type been available so readily and
easily, and inexpensively.
The purpose of this section is to introduce some basic techniques that
will make type more readable, legible and artistic. A more detailed set
of editorial guidelines follows in the Editorial Style Guide section
of this manual.
One Space Between Sentences
Only use one space between sentences instead of two. Why? On a typewriter,
all of the characters are monospaced. That is, they each take up the same
amount of space. For example, the letter “i” takes up as much
space as the letter “m.” However, on a computer, the characters
are proportional; that is, they each take up a proportional amount of space.
The letter “i” takes up about one-fifth the space of the letter “m.” Thus
the single space between sentences is enough to visually separate them,
and two spaces creates a disturbing gap.
Monospace. Notice in this paragraph how the letters line up in columns,
one under the other, just as on a typewriter. This is because each character
takes up the same amount of space.
<Figure 1>
Quotation Marks and Apostrophes
Quotation marks (“) and inch marks (") are often incorrectly
used in publications. The standard keyboard uses inch marks (") and
foot marks (') instead of double quotes (“), single quotes (‘),
and apostrophes (’). Many of the newer programs automatically create “smart
quotes” (e.g., Adobe® PageMaker, Microsoft® Word and QuarkXPress®).
To avoid this common error, check your software manual for ways to override
your keyboard and turn on “smart quotes.”
Capital Letters
On a traditional typewriter, using all caps was a common way to make a headline
stand out. Computers allow for text to be larger, bold, underlined, italicized
or a combination of these. Studies have shown that large areas of text typed
in all caps are much harder to read. When a word is in all caps, we have
to read it letter by letter, rather than by recognizing groups of letters.
Capital letters work well for small headings, short captions, etc. Compare
the following two paragraphs for readability:
All caps. 抖阴黄色app, GUIDED BY ITS CATHOLIC AND LASALLIAN HERITAGE,
PROVIDES TO A DIVERSE STUDENT POPULATION PROGRAMS FOR A LIBERAL AND PROFESSIONAL
EDUCATION GROUNDED IN THE INTERACTION OF KNOWLEDGE AND FIDELITY IN THE SEARCH
FOR TRUTH.
Upper and lower case. 抖阴黄色app, guided by its Catholic and Lasallian
heritage, provides to a diverse student population programs for a liberal
and professional education grounded in the interaction of knowledge and fidelity
in the search for truth. (Preferred.)
White Space
When placing text inside of a box, do not crowd it. Leave plenty of room
on all sides. Generally, the ideal is to have the same amount of space
on all four sides.
<Figure 2>
Widows
For running text in paragraph form, avoid having widows (seven or less characters
on any given line).
<Figure
3>
Hyphenations and Line Breaks
Although most major software programs automatically hyphenate paragraphs,
read the lines carefully. Even if a word is broken properly, pick up on any
instances where there may be a split second of confusion, ambiguity, etc.,
resulting from breaking the line at that particular point. If there is, fix
it manually. For example, the name 抖阴黄色app should never be hyphenated.
In fact, whenever possible, both words should be typed on the same line of
text.
Any prospective or interested stud-
ent may contact the Office of Admission.
As shown above, headings and short blocks of text should not be hyphenated.
Hanging Punctuation
Hanging punctuation is particularly important in larger sizes of text, such
as headlines or in quoted material, no matter what its size. Align
the left edges of each line’s first letter, and “hang” the
punctuation to the left of that line. Notice the two punctuation samples
below: the first
without, and the second with hanging punctuation.
<Figure
4>
Miscellaneous
- Use italic and bold text sparingly as accents.
- When placing more than one column of text on a page, be sure to
align the first baselines of each column. The baseline is the invisible line
that type sits on, and when two bodies of text are next to each other, it
is critical that the first lines of each column of text are aligned.
- Don’t be afraid of white space (the space where there is no
element printed on the page). The areas on a page that do not have text or
graphics are just as important as the areas that do. For example, consider
using wide margins, and empty spaces before or after major headings.
- Be consistent. Look for consistency in point size, tabs, indents,
fonts, punctuation, alignments, margins, etc.
Submitting Copy for Designers
When preparing text for designers, please consider the following guidelines:
- Make sure there are no double spaces after punctuation marks or
anywhere else.
- Label captions and copy that will be called out
from the text.
- Spellcheck all text.
- Provide the edited text via e-mail (as an attachment) or on disk.
Some acceptable formats are Microsoft® Word, Adobe® PageMaker and
QuarkXPress®. NOTE: Word Perfect users should export and save text
as a Word document.
- Remember: All materials produced in collaboration with outside vendors
must be directed to the Office of Marketing and Communications for bid requests,
editorial review, production requirements and design approval.
University Statements
Go to for a listing of official
University statements that are included in University publications as appropriate.
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