Optical margin alignment: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 14:43, 7 March 2019

Revision as of 21:50, 6 November 2019

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== Use ==

Optical margin alignment is designed to be used for body text, and not for display type, text in tables, or [[headline]]s.

It is designed to be used for body text, not for artistic text, table text, or [[headline]]s. It also works well for [[Block quotation|block quotes]], which benefit from “hung punctuation.” The “Smart Quotes” are outdented 100% into the margin or paragraph indent, so that subsequent lines of text align with the first character in the quotation.

It is often used for [[Block quotation|block quotes]], which benefit from “[[Hanging punctuation|hung punctuation]].” In such cases, the leading quotation mark is outdented 100% into the margin or paragraph indent, so that subsequent lines of text align with the first character in the quotation. If the first character of the quotation is meant to be styled as a drop cap, then both the opening, hung quotation mark and the following letter are styled as such.

The optimal values used for the outdents is font dependent. A [[typeface]] that has capital A, V, W, and Y with vertical sides, needs no outdents for these letters, but the capital T and punctuation will still benefit from using Optical Margin Alignment.

The optimal values used for the outdents is font -dependent. A [[typeface]] that haswhose capital A, V, W, and Y withhave vertical sides, needs no outdents for these letters, but the capital T and punctuation will still benefit from usingthe use of Opticaloptical Marginmargin Alignmentalignment.

If text has narrow gutters between columns, table borders, or any straight edge such as an image near to the edge of the text, Optical Margin Alignment should not be used because the proximity of the straight line will break the optical illusion.

If text has narrow gutters between columns, table borders, or any straight edge such as an image near to the edge of the text, Opticaloptical Marginmargin Alignmentalignment should not be used because the proximity of the straight line will break the optical illusion.

This technique is sometimes called hanging punctuation, as it is useful mostly for punctuation marks such as comma, period and the like. However, margin [[kerning]], the slight shifting of certain characters at the margins so the margins look smooth, is a more general concept, as it can be usefully applied to certain letters as well.

This technique is related to and sometimes equated with [[hanging punctuation]], though optical margin alignment is not limited to adjusting only punctuation.

=== Suggested Values for Optical Justification ===