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line & paragraph spacing in Word
Susan,
Can you clarify something for me? When using Space before and Space after, if you have a paragraph style that has 6 after, and a heading with 6 before, with the spacing between the paragraph and the header be 6 pt or does it add the "before" and "after" together to give a total space of 12? I'm trying to set up a style sheet for some standard documents and Word seems inconsistent in how it handles the space before and after. -- LAC "Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote: I'll agree with most of that. The most important point (often disregarded in legal documents and similar dogs' breakfasts) is that a heading *must* have more Space Before than Space After. Even if you add 3 pts Space After (as Word's heading styles do by default), you need to have 12, 18, 24 pts Space Before (the more leading you have in the body copy, the more space you need before the headings). I tend to type two very different types of copy (aside from letters, flyers, and other odds and ends). One type of document I produce is a consulting report (such as an appraisal or appraisal review), which is printed on Letter-size paper. This usually uses a Body Text style that is close to the Word default: 12 pt TNR with default (Single) line spacing, justified, no first-line indent, and 6 pts Space After. The other type of document is a printed book, usually a trade paperback at 6" x 9". For these I usually use smaller type, first-line indent, and no space between paragraphs, but often the leading is increased to make the book more readable (or more apparently substantial). -- 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. "leftnotracks" wrote in message ... 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 |
#2
Posted to microsoft.public.word.docmanagement
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line & paragraph spacing in Word
The values are additive.
-- Hope this helps. Please reply to the newsgroup unless you wish to avail yourself of my services on a paid consulting basis. Doug Robbins - Word MVP "LAC" wrote in message ... Susan, Can you clarify something for me? When using Space before and Space after, if you have a paragraph style that has 6 after, and a heading with 6 before, with the spacing between the paragraph and the header be 6 pt or does it add the "before" and "after" together to give a total space of 12? I'm trying to set up a style sheet for some standard documents and Word seems inconsistent in how it handles the space before and after. -- LAC "Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote: I'll agree with most of that. The most important point (often disregarded in legal documents and similar dogs' breakfasts) is that a heading *must* have more Space Before than Space After. Even if you add 3 pts Space After (as Word's heading styles do by default), you need to have 12, 18, 24 pts Space Before (the more leading you have in the body copy, the more space you need before the headings). I tend to type two very different types of copy (aside from letters, flyers, and other odds and ends). One type of document I produce is a consulting report (such as an appraisal or appraisal review), which is printed on Letter-size paper. This usually uses a Body Text style that is close to the Word default: 12 pt TNR with default (Single) line spacing, justified, no first-line indent, and 6 pts Space After. The other type of document is a printed book, usually a trade paperback at 6" x 9". For these I usually use smaller type, first-line indent, and no space between paragraphs, but often the leading is increased to make the book more readable (or more apparently substantial). -- 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. "leftnotracks" wrote in message ... 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 |
#3
Posted to microsoft.public.word.docmanagement
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line & paragraph spacing in Word
It depends on a Compatibility Options settings. If you are using the default
settings in Word 2000 (I think) and above, the option "Don't use HTML paragraph auto spacing" is NOT checked, and Word will use the greater of the two settings. If you do check it, then the values are, as Doug says, added together. -- 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. "LAC" wrote in message ... Susan, Can you clarify something for me? When using Space before and Space after, if you have a paragraph style that has 6 after, and a heading with 6 before, with the spacing between the paragraph and the header be 6 pt or does it add the "before" and "after" together to give a total space of 12? I'm trying to set up a style sheet for some standard documents and Word seems inconsistent in how it handles the space before and after. -- LAC "Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote: I'll agree with most of that. The most important point (often disregarded in legal documents and similar dogs' breakfasts) is that a heading *must* have more Space Before than Space After. Even if you add 3 pts Space After (as Word's heading styles do by default), you need to have 12, 18, 24 pts Space Before (the more leading you have in the body copy, the more space you need before the headings). I tend to type two very different types of copy (aside from letters, flyers, and other odds and ends). One type of document I produce is a consulting report (such as an appraisal or appraisal review), which is printed on Letter-size paper. This usually uses a Body Text style that is close to the Word default: 12 pt TNR with default (Single) line spacing, justified, no first-line indent, and 6 pts Space After. The other type of document is a printed book, usually a trade paperback at 6" x 9". For these I usually use smaller type, first-line indent, and no space between paragraphs, but often the leading is increased to make the book more readable (or more apparently substantial). -- 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. "leftnotracks" wrote in message ... 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 |
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