Re: Line Size for page (FM 7.1) LONG
Yes, printed material requires different left and right (verso and recto) page layouts.
Probably the most important reason is to position the page numbers on the outer edges of the book so the reader can riffle to the correct page without completely opening the book each time he needs to see a page number.
David,
This is generally true if you are distributing printed books. However, Joe's dilemma is that he is providing a PDF for users to print on their office printers. In this situation, the best strategy is to have a design that works under either single-sided or duplex printing conditions. That's why I recommended a centered folio and even left-right margins.
Also, with bound material (like perfect binding or three-hole punched paper) you want to have a little extra paper on the binding edge so the printed material isn't stuck in the middle of a crack. This extra is sometimes called the "gutter."
Er, yes and no. You want a large enough gutter (inside margin) to accommodate the binding method. Generally this mitigates in favor of extra gutter width for ring binding and not so much extra for spiral or comb binding. However, in traditional bound books (whether perfect, lay-flat, or sewn) the "ideal" page design (worthy of an esthete's stamp of approval, in other words) has a wider outside margin than inside margin. You still need enough inside margin to assure readability, but you want your extra white space framing the spread, not dividing it. Now if you choose a design strategy (sometimes dictated by the technology you are using) that says subheads hang the the _left_ of the text column rather than to the _outside_ of the text column, the above consideration is moot.
In the case of perfect binding, the printer (not the designer), should build in a grind-off allowance. That's a space added between the left and right pages in addition to the designed margin. It accommodates the manufacturing process, which involves grinding off the backs of the stacked, folded signatures to make a flat surface for glueing the spine. Usually it's about a sixteenth of an inch.
In addition to riffling for page numbers, books often have other random access indicators printed in the outer sides of each header, such as chapter or topic titles.
Again, I agree for books that you are distributing printed, but not for PDFs.
The best thing you can do is study printed material produced by publishers of some repute (I like Adobe's manuals, but most modern software manuals are well designed.) Analyze what they've done and emulate it IF it increases the value of your product. (That means it's more useful or less expensive for the reader.)
I would expand on this point to say you should go to a brick-and-mortar bookstore and look at books that are not computer manuals published by O'Reilly or a software company or Dummies. Look at real books from real publishers--hardbound best-selling novels from Random House or Knopf, John Wiley textbooks, university press history books--so that you're at least looking at good examples. Restricting yourself to other software manuals is a poor strategy if you want to learn about traditional book design conventions.
As to type face and size...
Serif vs. sans serif (e.g. Times vs. Arial): There's much debate, but it seems that printed material is most readable when it's in a face like the one the reader learned to read with. That is, most North American schoolbooks are set with serif fonts, so North Americans read body text in a serif font more easily. The opposite is true for Europeans, where sans serif fonts are best for body text.
The bit about Europeans seems to be overstated. It may be true in certain individual countries. This point is controversial.
For displayed text, while I've read no studies, I'm certain that fonts specifically designed for on-screen legibility, such as Verdana, are better than fonts designed for paper, like Arial. I think there's general agreement that sans serif fonts are more legible for screen display.
No argument from me on that one.
Type size: This is a balance between readability and print or display area. The type has to be large enough to be readable at the distance and in the lighting conditions in which your reader will read it. But it also has to be small enough to satisfy the need to see all the information in the fewest possible screens or pages. Trial and error, using yourself as a guinea pig?
It's usually hard to know about the conditions in which others will be reading on the monitor. If you can accommodate them with a medium that can be zoomed (browsers and Adobe Reader can zoom text), it's not so much of a concern. Choosing a font size that gives you an appropriate line length (in characters per line) is more important.
Dick
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References:
RE: Line Size for page (FM 7.1): From: Joe Malin
Re: Line Size for page (FM 7.1) LONG: From: David Chinell
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