TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Most readable line lengths? From:Elisabeth Zakes <ezakes -at- PLANVIEW -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 27 Jan 1999 10:01:20 -0600
> This is fascinating. I take it, then, that "most readable line
> length" is
> somewhat proportional to the size of the print, regardless of the
> absolute
> line length (within reason, of course)?
>
> For example, there's about a two-inch difference in the length of 2.5
> alphabets, in 12-point and 16-point Times Roman.
>
> Take care,
>
> Scott
>
When I was working at a typesetting shop, designers of books
limited line length to 30 picas (5 inches), and usually stayed between
24 and 27 picas (4 to 4.5 inches), no matter the type size. I was told
that the human eye has trouble tracking more than 5 inches easily,
thereby adding to eye fatigue when lines are longer than 30 picas.
Elisabeth B. Zakes
PlanView, Inc., Austin, TX
ezakes -at- planview -dot- com http://www.planview.com
