Article Abstract:
One of the many challenges of desktop publishing is good typesetting. There are five basic ground rules of typesetting. when setting type, characters, words and lines must work together; the space between characters should be less than the space between words, and the space between lines should be greater than the space between words. For consistent, clear word spacing, especially in short, multi-column lines, set type ragged right so as to avoid hyphenation and unnatural spacing. Avoid 'rivers,' or wide spaces between words. Do not let your characters get out of line, and remember that lines of about 60-65 characters are the most comfortable for reading length. Beware of 'widows' and 'orphans.' A widow is a single word at the end of a paragraph that ends up sitting alone on one line at the top of the page. An orphan is one word that ends up at the end of a paragraph or page.
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Article Abstract:
Rules and boxes, when used sensibly, can embellish otherwise tedious pages, and are effective in guiding readers. Rules and boxes add visual emphasis to any text, and can be used to link rather than separate blocks of text. Rules quickly become dominant design features, and should be used sparingly and consistently. The importance of a box as a graphic element can be enhanced with a tint, and typefaces with clearly legible serifs or without serifs at all stand up best against a tinted background. Boxes should conform to the column grid for the sake of neatness. Overuse of rules and boxes can fragment layouts and confuse readers.
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Article Abstract:
Page organization often requires the planning and structure of a grid. A grid is the organizational foundation on which designers can build both their pages and their entire publication. A well-applied grid creates an aesthetically-pleasing publication and makes layout easier. In constructing a grid, a page is divided with horizontal lines, creating a number of strips of equal width. Vertical divisions for columns are added. Horizontal and vertical spacing should be identical. Most page makeup programs, such as Aldus Corp's PageMaker and Quark Inc's XPress, offer ready-made templates that include columns and grids.
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