MILPEDRAS - TALLER DE LITOGRAFÍA

From the time of the invention of printing, most of the printed material was intended for continuous reading is for this reason that we are going to discuss in this article are the key factors as the size of the body, space between words, spacing and length of the line involved in the proper disposition of material in the ordinary composition typographical or followed mainly focused on their appearance in books, which is the classical field which we use when displaying resources of typography. In another post, this will be the composition of text for headlines.
The spacing between words

A clear sign, present since the early days of printing to this day, a good impression and, by extension, a good printer has been the care and attention devoted to the composition of ordinary text. If we look closely at the best works of the most famous printers since the mid-fifteenth century, we find a common denominator is that applied narrow spacing between words in the text. Given this fact, we might ask why the best printing companies have continued this tradition for over five hundred years? And why still survives?

Finding the answer in the past, before the invention of printing the writing was the only way to preserve and transmit human thought. So the first printers saw the opportunity to make money playing mass books made so far by the scribes. Naturally based their rates on existing manuscripts of the time and did their work conscientiously playing on the many metal ligatures and contractions that the scribes included in the text. Besides this, also attempted, to compose the pages, copy the beautiful narrow spacing between words in the manuscripts. And this tradition, started in the early days of printing, has been transmitted to us.

To answer the question of why remains in force can be listed two main reasons: the first is very practical and refers to the ease of reading text provides a compound with a close spacing between the words over another with a wider spacing between them.

Indeed, children first learn to read letter by letter, syllable by syllable later and then individual words. But the adult reading groups of words instead of individual words one by one and if for a child's reading is desirable to a larger space between words and increased spacing for an adult reading this would be a slower and less effective because the reader would flow constantly interrupted by excessive whitespace between words.

The second reason is of an aesthetic nature and has to do with the typographic color line and the great improvement that involves the same narrow spacing between words. A carefully composed text page appears set to a series of black bands separated by white space channels. Conversely, a composite page without paying attention to us as a whole consists of numerous gray spots isolated from each other, and this is the result of poor spacing between words. As I said before reading the normal flow of left-right is also slowed the letters short, ie those without ascending and descending, and the tops of them, if that had not fulfilled a role in reading as is to guide the eye along the line. The eye tends to be confused by the vertical stress induced by the relative isolation of words and highlighted by the ascenders and descenders of letters. This emphasis also is increased by upright annoying rivers or streets and inseparably accompany the text compound.

In a text composed in a more judicious sense of vertical stress completely disappears, and the narrow spacing between words ensures that the white space appears preferentially between the lines is where it really shows its effectiveness as an aid to reading. And on this subject have talked many authoritative voices:

Edward Johnston, in his classic, Writing, Illuminating and Lettering wrote:

"The line, especially in handwritten books, is really most important because a page of calligraphy proper disposition depends on the correct treatment of the line and attempting the distinction and elegance of the lines of the old manuscripts is:

    * The apparent union of points on the line, aided by some heavy shots.
    * The proper functioning whole.
    * Sufficient spacing of the lines.

The most beautiful writing usually presents a great advantage but is too gaudy, and is easier to make difficult reading the lines joining each other that by narrowing the space between the words. "

The great printer Sir Emery Walker, a founding partner along with T. J. Cobden-Sanderson to the famous Doves Press, said in a conversation with the printer Bernard Newdigate: "The boxes of coarse spaces compositors should be full of fine spaces. The result would be a more narrowly spaced and free of those "rivers" that disfigure many forms today. "

The publisher Penguin Books in its rules of composition, prepared by Jan Tschichold in 1948 provides these instructions to his compositors: "Any composition of text should carry the narrower spacing between words as possible. As a general rule, the space used must be of medium size or thickness of an "i" the size of type used. Larger spaces will be strictly avoided. The words may be split on a discretionary basis in order to avoid a wide spacing as from the words is less harmful to the appearance of the page that have a wide space between them. "

The correct spacing between words vary slightly according to the type and size chosen as well as half the width of the eye but may be issued as a general rule this will be the third of pica.

The determination of the length of the line

In the composition of continuous text, special attention will have regard to the length of the line to the extent that this does not cause fatigue in the reader and does not present difficulties to position at the start of the next line.

Keep in mind that the longer the length of the line the greater the path that should describe the eye and greater, in turn, the difficulty of finding the start of the next line. But do not reach the opposite end where a line too short demand frequent changes of direction in the movement of the eyes with the consequent exhaustion of them.

Traditionally considered a good measure of line length which is composed of an average of 40-60 characters (including spaces) or 10-12 words, but the final consideration will be determined by the following factors:

The font size
Obviously in a solid composition, ie without spacing is an important factor in the extent of the line. So if the font size increases also increase the length of the line and the opposite if you reduce the length will decrease.

The average eye type
If the guy has one eye half (height-X) wide, and Baskerville, its composition will be better appreciated in a far longer than if a guy with an eye condensed medium as Fournier.

Type design
The old types as Bembo, Garamond or Caslon allow greater freedom to establish the extent of the line modern types such as Bodoni or Walbaum. In this group the types of extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes and the fineness of their auctions tend to dazzle and weary the eye.

Types without auctions, especially those without modulation (apparent) in their strokes as the Futura of Paul Renner, do not seem the most desirable for typesetting longer due to the monotony of his strokes, but the humanistic design such as Gills Sans type Eric Gill who designed, can work, and indeed they do well in this type of composition. In any case where the composition of modern types text and sans serif far the line must not be too long and you must always add more space between lines.

The nature and scale of work
The answer to questions like what are we designing? What purpose? Who are your readers? give us the key to how we should approach the job. Certainly not the same as a novel than a dictionary, an encyclopedia than a book for children. Each recipient and every application will have its counterpart in the type used, its size, line length, etc.

The spacing
As we have seen advice to the spacing between words and action for a comfortable line, we can also observe certain ways in relation to the space between lines of text or spacing.

Apart from all the available space, the spacing of a text is conditioned by:

The nature of work
As before, the type of work and the recipient will greatly influence the spacing of the text. Logically, a text of a book that take a child spacing which can carry a form of commercial ephemeral and again the recipient of the same mark the spacing used.

The font size
At the same time to increase the font size used is reasonable increase proportionally spaced. As a general rule can be said for text sizes, the ideal spacing would be twice the size of the average eye point

The extent of the line
In lines that exceed a length considered appropriate (10-12 words) is necessary to increase the space between them. If this does not increase the risk that the lines are "double", ie re-read the beginning of the line that we just finished. Also in especially short lines the line spacing should be smaller than that used in standard measures

The average eye type
Types with an average normal eye as Bembo, Centaur Perpetua need less space between lines types with one eye half as big as Plantin.

Type design
Sans-serif types, lacking the tops of the Romans to help readers follow the eye line, need a little more space between lines and modern types like Bodoni.

The weight or color type
Types with less weight, which provide a lighter color, also need a spacing less than those whose "color" is darker.

From the book by Geoffrey Dowding
Finer Points in the spacing
& Arrangement of Type
Hartley & Marks, 1995

Original traslate from: www.unostiposduros.com