Hello leftnotracks

Well this really is food for thought! Thank you for your expertise.
--


Many thanks
JD


"leftnotracks" wrote:

I'm a professional typographer (which means I hardly ever use Word). So I'll
offer my $.02. If I contradict Mr. McGhie, then to heck with it.

Body copy should be at least 10 pt. type, and no larger than 12 pt, unless
set for people with particularly poor eyesight.

Leading (AKA linespacing) should be at least 20% above type size, and
probably a bit more. So 11 pt. body copy should be set on 13.5 or 14 pt
leading.

If you are using paragraph indents, then you should have no extra space
between paragraphs. If you prefer to have space between paragraphs, then do
not use paragraph indents.

Space between paragraphs should be in 1/2 line increments. Our 11/14 body
copy would have paragraph spacing of 7 or 14 pt. I prefer to use the Space
After rather than Space Before for this. Why will be clear later.

Paragraph indents should be in type size increments. Our 11 pt. body copy
should have indents of 22, 33, or 44 pts. Use larger indents for wider
columns.

Subheads should have significant contract from body copy. If using a serif
font (Garamond, Times, Georgia) for body copy, use a bold sans-serif font for
subheads (Franklin Gothic, Trebuchet, Gill Sans). Set the subhead no more
than 1 point larger than body copy. Give the subhead extra space above and no
space below. This will keep the subhead tight to the copy it follows and
create a double space above it, cueing the reader to a change in subject.

You may want several levels of subhead., The one I just stated would be the
lowest. Higher levels require more formatting, such as slight increases in
point size, restoring space below and adding more space above, using
paragraph rules (better than underlining, which should be avoided), or any or
all or the above.

"Jackie D" wrote:

Really? What's your take on line spacing? I'm always looking for the best
practice (to use that horrible corporate word!)
--


Many thanks
JD


"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

See http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customizat...platePart2.htm. FWIW,
I don't agree with everything John writes there.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

"Anne Troy" wrote in message
...
Hi, Jackie. This refers to space below the paragraph. Space between the
lines is line spacing (in the Format Paragraph dialog).
I'm not familiar with John's book. Yes, it sounds like he's contradicting
himself.
In Word, line height is also the line spacing, or...yes...the font size,
basically. I believe he's trying to say if you have double line spacing,
then that would mean a 12pt font would be 24 points spacing, and that you
should use 8 pts space before in that case. Does this make sense?
*******************
~Anne Troy

www.OfficeArticles.com


"Jackie D" wrote in message
...
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 StylesModifyParagraph.

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!
--


Many thanks
Jackie D