Is your text layout properly arranged?
ĐĄlick the corresponding circle if your project meets the requirements
Sometimes strange things happen in paragraphs. If youâre serious about type, you already know that a large part of your typesetting time is spent fixing bad line breaks.
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These include:
⢠âIâ at the end of linesâit
should be pushed down to the next line. Use the Alt + Space shortcut to insert non-breaking spaces.
⢠Any repeated words that
stack at line beginnings or endings.
⢠âPig bristlesââhyphens
occasionally falling at the end of the line. When these anomalies happen, tweak the spacing to shift things around.
Check for awkward word spacing:
⢠âRiversââvisual gaps that
run down a paragraph.
⢠Loose linesâindividual
lines containing poorly spaced elements.
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They require manual adjustment: try reworking copy, using non-breaking space (Opt + Space for Mac and Alt + Space for Windows) or tweaking text tracking.
A âwidowâ is a very short line at the end of a paragraph or column. Theyâre considered poor typography because widows leave too much white space between paragraphs or at the bottom of a page. This interrupts the reader. âOrphansâ are single words or very short lines appearing at the beginning of a column or a page. This results in poor horizontal alignment at the top of the column or page. Fix them by:
⢠Reworking the rag or
editing the copy.
⢠Tweak the tracking of the
paragraph or line.
⢠Adjust the text frame
width to pull short words onto previous lines.
Tracking is another effective method of spatial adjustment, much like kerning, but focused on adjusting space uniformly over a range of characters. Tracking works especially well on headings and subheadings that need to be ultra-legible, affecting the visual density of a word, phrase or paragraph:
⢠Large text sizes have to be
tracked, always in negative values, because the space between letters gets bigger as the text grows.
⢠Tracking in positive values
is useful when you want to emphasize words and is commonly used for capitalized text.
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Just like kerning, tracking is font dependentâone measure does not fit all text sizes and font types.
Perfect typography is certainly the most elusive of all arts. Sculpture in stone alone comes near it in obstinacy, Jan Tschichold, one of the fathers of modern typography used to say. Good letterforms are designed to give a lively, even texture, but careless spacing of letters, lines and words can tear this fabric appart. We at Readymag show maximum deference to typography and our Text widget offers rich options to fine-tune typeset text. Note that playing with the settings gives the best results and good visual judgement is crucial!
Perfect typography is certainly the most elusive of all arts. Sculpture in stone alone comes near it in obstinacy, Jan Tschichold, one of the fathers of modern typography used to say. Good letterforms are designed to give a lively, even texture, but careless spacing of letters, lines and words can tear this fabric appart. We at Readymag show maximum deference to typography and our Text widget offers rich options to fine-tune typeset text. Note that playing with the settings gives the best results and good visual judgement is crucial!
Is your text layout properly arranged?
ĐĄlick the corresponding circle if your project meets the requirements
Check for best alignment
Check for best alignment
Typically centering text works best for short headlines or descriptions, while text blocks with multiple lines look best if aligned left or right. In Readymag, you can adjust alignment from either the Text widget settings or with shortcuts. If you are on Mac, use â + shift + A to select the current paragraph or â + A to select the whole text and then apply â + shift + L to align selected text to the left, â + shift + Câto the center, or â + shift + Râto the right. If you use Windows, replace â with Ctrl and use the same shortcuts.
In some cases, especially in layouts that utilize multiple narrow columns, it makes sense to justify text blocks. In Readymag, justification can be managed through the Text widget settings.
Typically centering text works best for short headlines or descriptions, while text blocks with multiple lines look best if aligned left or right. In Readymag, you can adjust alignment from either the Text widget settings or with shortcuts. If you are on Mac, use â + shift + A to select the current paragraph or â + A to select the whole text and then apply â + shift + L to align selected text to the left, â + shift + Câto the center, or â + shift + Râto the right. If you use Windows, replace â with Ctrl and use the same shortcuts.
In some cases, especially in layouts that utilize multiple narrow columns, it makes sense to justify text blocks. In Readymag, justification can be managed through the Text widget settings.
Tweak âriversâ and loose lines
Tweak âriversâ and loose lines
Check for awkward word spacing:
⢠âRiversââvisual gaps that run down a paragraph.
⢠Loose linesâindividual lines containing
poorly spaced elements.
Â
They require manual adjustment: try reworking copy, using non-breaking space (Opt + Space for Mac and Alt + Space for Windows) or tweaking text tracking.
Check for awkward word spacing:
⢠âRiversââvisual gaps that run down a paragraph.
⢠Loose linesâindividual lines containing
poorly spaced elements.
Â
They require manual adjustment: try reworking copy, using non-breaking space (Opt + Space for Mac and Alt + Space for Windows) or tweaking text tracking.
Fix bad line breaks
Fix bad line breaks
Sometimes strange things happen in paragraphs. If youâre serious about type, you already know that a large part of your typesetting time is spent fixing bad line breaks.
Â
These include:
⢠âIâ at the end of linesâit should be pushed down to the
next line. Use the Alt + Space shortcut to insert non-breaking spaces.
⢠Any repeated words that stack at line
beginnings or endings.
⢠âPig bristlesââhyphens occasionally falling at the
end of the line. When these anomalies happen, tweak the spacing to shift things around.
Sometimes strange things happen in paragraphs. If youâre serious about type, you already know that a large part of your typesetting time is spent fixing bad line breaks.
Â
These include:
⢠âIâ at the end of linesâit should be pushed down to the
next line. Use the Alt + Space shortcut to insert non-breaking spaces.
⢠Any repeated words that stack at line
beginnings or endings.
⢠âPig bristlesââhyphens occasionally falling at the
end of the line. When these anomalies happen, tweak the spacing to shift things around.
Find homes for âorphansâ and âwidowsâ
Find homes for âorphansâ and âwidowsâ
A âwidowâ is a very short line at the end of a paragraph or column. Theyâre considered poor typography because widows leave too much white space between paragraphs or at the bottom of a page. This interrupts the reader. âOrphansâ are single words or very short lines appearing at the beginning of a column or a page. This results in poor horizontal alignment at the top of the column or page. Fix them by:
⢠Reworking the rag or editing the copy.
⢠Tweak the tracking of the paragraph or line.
⢠Adjust the text frame width to pull short
words onto previous lines.
A âwidowâ is a very short line at the end of a paragraph or column. Theyâre considered poor typography because widows leave too much white space between paragraphs or at the bottom of a page. This interrupts the reader. âOrphansâ are single words or very short lines appearing at the beginning of a column or a page. This results in poor horizontal alignment at the top of the column or page. Fix them by:
⢠Reworking the rag or editing the copy.
⢠Tweak the tracking of the paragraph or line.
⢠Adjust the text frame width to pull short
words onto previous lines.
Adjust ragged paragraphs
Adjust ragged paragraphs
When setting type with a ragged margin, pay attention to the shape that the ragged line endings makeâa good rag goes in and out from line to line in small increments. Badly ragged paragraphs are simple to remedy though, just use the Alt + Space shortcut to insert non-breaking spaces between words to give your paragraphs a pleasant shape.
When setting type with a ragged margin, pay attention to the shape that the ragged line endings makeâa good rag goes in and out from line to line in small increments. Badly ragged paragraphs are simple to remedy though, just use the Alt + Space shortcut to insert non-breaking spaces between words to give your paragraphs a pleasant shape.
Make sure kerning is even and tasteful
Make sure kerning is even and tasteful
Kerning refers to the space between individual characters: set too close together or too far apart, words can become awkward to read. Most of the time, text in Readymag does not need manual kerning, as all digital fonts have kerning tables built-in. But manual kerning may prove necessary with headings, in particular when numbers, italics or punctuation are involved.
To kern the spacing between any two, or more, characters in a word individually, select the characters first, then hold the Alt key and hit the â or â arrow on the keyboard. You can also use the Tracking option in the Typography palette. A good tip for improving your kerning is to flip type upside-down before adjusting the spacingâto do this, select the desired text and use the R key to rotate it. This way you wonât be distracted by the content, and can focus solely on the visual symmetry.
Kerning refers to the space between individual characters: set too close together or too far apart, words can become awkward to read. Most of the time, text in Readymag does not need manual kerning, as all digital fonts have kerning tables built-in. But manual kerning may prove necessary with headings, in particular when numbers, italics or punctuation are involved.
To kern the spacing between any two, or more, characters in a word individually, select the characters first, then hold the Alt key and hit the â or â arrow on the keyboard. You can also use the Tracking option in the Typography palette. A good tip for improving your kerning is to flip type upside-down before adjusting the spacingâto do this, select the desired text and use the R key to rotate it. This way you wonât be distracted by the content, and can focus solely on the visual symmetry.
Tweak tracking if necessary
Tweak tracking if necessary
Tracking is another effective method of spatial adjustment, much like kerning, but focused on adjusting space uniformly over a range of characters. Tracking works especially well on headings and subheadings that need to be ultra-legible, affecting the visual density of a word, phrase or paragraph:
⢠Large text sizes have to be tracked, always in negative
values, because the space between letters gets bigger as the text grows.
⢠Tracking in positive values is useful when you want to
emphasize words and is commonly used for capitalized text.
Â
Just like kerning, tracking is font dependentâone measure does not fit all text sizes and font types.
Tracking is another effective method of spatial adjustment, much like kerning, but focused on adjusting space uniformly over a range of characters. Tracking works especially well on headings and subheadings that need to be ultra-legible, affecting the visual density of a word, phrase or paragraph:
⢠Large text sizes have to be tracked, always in negative
values, because the space between letters gets bigger as the text grows.
⢠Tracking in positive values is useful when you want to
emphasize words and is commonly used for capitalized text.
Â
Just like kerning, tracking is font dependentâone measure does not fit all text sizes and font types.
Tweak leading if necessary
Tweak leading if necessary
Leadingâthe space between adjacent lines of typeâis a basic rhythmic unit. Correctly spaced lines make it easier for readers to follow type and improves the overall appearance of text. Leading also alters typographic color, which is the density or tone of a composition.
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Leadingâthe space between adjacent lines of typeâis a basic rhythmic unit. Correctly spaced lines make it easier for readers to follow type and improves the overall appearance of text. Leading also alters typographic color, which is the density or tone of a composition.
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