How to create good looking documents?

© 2007, Abonyi-Tóth Zsolt

Szent István University

Faculty of Veterinary Science

Budapest

Programs

EditorsFormatting programsPublishing programs (DTP)

Typography

(typos) graven figure (grapho) to write

Typography:– Developing of printed materials– Forming the text, aligning the text and pictures

Typography: developing letters and developing with letters

Point size

Inch based (pica)– 0,352 mm

Didot-Förster – 0,376 mm

Point size

Inch based (pica)– 1 inch = 6 picas = 25,4 mm– 1 pica = 12 points = 4,233 mm– 1 point = 0,352 mm

Point size

Didot-Förster– 1 point = 0,376 mm = point– 4 points = 1,504 mm = diamond– 8 points = 3,008 mm = petit– 10 points = 3,761 mm = garamond– 12 points = 4,513 mm = cicero– ...

Why is it important?

You need a new assistant. Who do you trust?

Who do you trust?

Name: John SmithsPlace of Birth: LondonDate of Birth: 12.09.1978.

Education:Blackwell College, EaswickveterinarianNDA High School

Hobby:swimming

name: John Smiths Place of Birth: LondonDate of Birth: 12..09. 1978Education : Blackwell College,

Easwick veterinarian, NDA High School

Hobby: swimming

Parts of the document

LetterWord SentenceParagraphChapterDocument

Letters

BudapestBase line

– Optical

Letters

BudapestLine of reading

– Optical– It guides your eyes!

Letters

Budapest Font size

– more 10-20% place between rows• Less space is confusing (you miss the rows)

• More space is a wastage, and breaks the train of thought

Letters

Linear impression is needed, when you change the size– Use an exponential scale!

E.g. this one:6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 20, 24, 28, 36, 48, ...

Letters

Traditional font size:– 8-10 in newspaper– 10-12 in books

– (12 with A/4 paper size)

Letters

Width of letters– Equal width on typewriters– Letters should have different width!

• We need rhythm

Letters

Font type: letters have been developed by the same graphical idea

The needs:– Easy to read– Nice shape– Own, special looking

Letters

The needs of easy reading:– The looking should be uniform, but the letters

must be easy to distinguish– The picture of words should be good-looking– The shape of the letters should produce a good

rhythm of lines• DON’T WRITE WITH UPPERCASE LETTERS!

Letters

Other properties– Type

• Letters with the same graphical elements

– Variant• How to modify the given type

– Size

Font: the above 3 things together– E.g. Times Bold 10

Letters

Variants– Width of the lines

I I O O A A i i o o a a

Letters

Variants– Width of the letters

QWERTYUIOPasdfghjkléá QWERTYUIOPasdfghjkléá

Letters

Variants– Italic

• Letters may become unreadable

• Oblique (cursive), if it has been developed separately

QWERTYUIOPasdfghjkléá QWERTYUIOPasdfghjkléá

Letters

Variants– Small capitals

• The shape of the letters is uppercase

• Wrong line width transforming by the computer!

QWERTYUIOPasdfghjkléáQWERTYUIOPasdfghjkléá

Letters

Special effectsHyphenation and dash is not the same!

- – .

n-dash with space, orm-dash without space

Letters

KerningSometimes we should to move letters to create a

uniform spot-effect

.

Letters

With feet– Normal, continuous text

Without feet– Bigget size, titles, etc.

Fixed width letters– Highlighting

mm

Do we read letters or words?

Veetrinarnais paly a mjoar rloe in the halethcrae of ptes, lviseoctk, and zoo, spronitg, and loabarrtoy amnalis. Smoe veeritniarans use tiher silkls to ptocert hmunas aagnist disseaes cierrad by amanils.

Letters

Renaissance types– Varied lines – Simulate quill-pen– Feet– Axle is not vertical

• E.g. Gaudy, Garamond

Letters

Baroque types– Bigger difference between the width of the

lines– Axes are nearly vertical

• E.g. Times, Plantin, Baskerville

Letters

„Classical” types– Don’t follow handwriting– Light feet– Very different line widths– Thin horizontal, thick vertical lines– Axes nearly vertical

• E.g. Bodoni, Walbaum, Primous

Letters

Linear with feet (Egyptienne)– Line widths are nearly the same– The end of the lines are angled– Axes are vertical

• E.g. Memphis, Figaro, Courier New

Letters

Clarendon (newspaper)– Uniform line width– The end of the lines are angled– Axes are vertical

• E.g. Clarendon, Volta

Letters

Grotesque (linear without feet)– Exactly the same line widths– Regular development (geometrical forms)– No feet

• E.g. Helvetia, Futura, Reform, Univerz, Arial

Letters

Handwriting– Simulates handwriting– Movement in lines, in the connection between

letters– Don’t use for long text! Hard to read!

• E.g. Ariston, Signal, Slogan

Letters

Decorative types (advertisement, decoration)– Not easy to read– Unusual form

• E.g. Broadway, Stencil, Uncial

Letters

Other types– Everything else

• E.g. black letters, Russian and Greek letters

Letters

The similarity of the meaning and the form– Poems: renaissance– Polite literature: baroque, renaissance– Technological: egyptienne, „classical” – Advertisement: grotesque, egyptienne

Rules of typography

Don’t use several font types, it suggests unstability

Small difference is no difference, only „dramatic” changes are acceptable

Few text on big surface: dependable, worthy of note

Rules of typographySpaces: the same size in the same lineToo big spaces brake the textDon’t allow „channels” I n e x p a n d e d t e x t spaces should be

expanded also space between letters < space < space

between paragraphs < margin size

Rules of typography

Hyphenation– Not more than 4 consecutive hyphenations or

signs at the end of the lines– Minimum 3 letters together– Compound words at the composition

Check grammar– Algorithm + exception dictionary

Rules of typography

Hyphenation– Too many hyphenations mean, that column

width is too small

10 points font size 20 cicero (9 cm) column width

Column width should be minimum 3.5 cm

Highlighting

A light highlighting (cursive) A s t r o n g e r highlighting (expanded) More STRONGER highlighting (small capitals) A STRONG highlighting (all capitals) Very strong highlighting (bold)

Others: Unuseful, UnofficialUnofficial, UnofficialUnofficial

Drop Caps

HIS way it can be aligned on two sides

HIS way it should be aligned on four sides, otherways it looks horrible, and everyone will think, it is not a correct solution..

T

T

Drop Caps

If you start one chapter that way, do the same with all chapters

Connect it to the first word: move closer or use small capitals

Use the second way (previous slide) if it was higher than two lines

The top of the Drop Caps shouldn’t below the top of the first line

Be careful

Don’t use handwriting and capital lettersDon’t expand coursive handwritingDon’t use light Drop Caps with dark fontsDon’t type ‘dot’ at the end of titlesDark text on dark background: max. 30%Light text on dark background: min. 50%White paper: no light text

Parts of the document

LettersWords SentencesParagraphsChaptersDocument

How to type

There is no space between the words and the following signs!– Exception: opening braces

Parts of the document

LettersWords SentencesParagraphsChaptersDocument

Paragraph

The set of sentences about the same topic.

Paragraphs

Paragraphs should be separated to show the reader, that a new topic will be started there.

So the reader will be able to recognize, what a hell we talk about.

In case he’s wondering...

Paragraphs

Paragraphs should be separated to show the reader, that a new topic will be started there.

So the reader will be able to recognize, what a hell we talk about.

In case he’s wondering...

Indentation is usually 2 or 3 times the font size

All indentations should have the same size in the document, independently of different font sizes

Paragraphs

Indent (list)

– 1 kg bred– 0,5 kg sugar– 10 apples– 1 bottle of milk

Paragraphs

Numbered list

1. Britney Spears

2. Prodigy

3. Modern Talking

4. Metallica

– Correct form: 1. a)• (might be different in different languages)

To highlight longer text

Align to the centerLeft and right indentationLeft indentationSummary: bold (bigger)

IMPORTANT

ENTER means the end of the paragraph only. Never use to start a new line only!

Tabulator, space should not be used for indentation!

Parts of the document

LettersWords SentencesParagraphsChaptersDocument

Chapters

Chapters separate the document by subjects. It is important to give the same looking to the chapters.

Titles

If the document could be separated to smaller parts, titles and subtitles should be used.

Highlighting usually with size and alignment Visible contrast between title and regular text Don’t align to center a coursive line (the whole

page seems to be turned) Decimal numbering in scientific documents

Titles

No more space below the titles than above them

Title should be on the same page as the text below

In case of two-line titles don’t use very similar or very different line width

For more-line titles use the rules on next slide for every three lines

Centre of gravity!

Centre of gravity!

Picture titles

It should be different from regular textSame size or smallerClose to the pictureUsually the coursive or smaller and bold

variant of regular letters

Orphan and widow control

Last page should contain min. four linesNo single line on the bottom of pageNo first line of a paragraph above a pictureNo last line of paragraph on the top of a

page or below a pictureOne or two lines should not be separated

Parts of the document

LettersWords SentencesParagraphsChaptersDocument

Alignment

Free alignment– One side or the middle of the lines are closed.

Justified alignment– Both sides of the lines are closed (to a vertical

line)

Symmetry

Symmetry: calm, balanced lookingAsymmetric: more freedom, but hard to

determine the place of the axis. Dinamical, lively looking.

Spots

The most important parts should be the most conspicuous

White areas are also important – the negative should also be harmonical

Contrast

Makes the document lively and good for the eyes Avoid minor changes in size Details are more visible on big pictures. They

seem to be bigger if they had a smaller picture in the neighborhood size is relative

Portrait and landscape pictures Rounded and angular Dark and bright

Balance

Dark asymmetrical spot breaks the balance find a counterpoint

Geometrical and optical centre

Raise what you want to see in the middleBottom margin should be bigger than top

margin

Two-sided documents

Symmetry (mirror margins)

The order of reading

1 3 5

2 4 6

The order of reading

The order of reading

Wrong plan

Good plan

Columns

Not more than 60-70 letters in one lineSeparator line between columns if they

contain different articles

Paper size

A0 - 1m2 – Ratio of sides 1:2– 841x1189 mm– A1 – fold it in half– A2 – fold it in half again– …– A4 210x297 mm

Paper size

B0– Ratio of sides 1:2– 1000x1414 mm– B1 – fold it in half– B2 – fold it in half again– …– B5 ‘írólap’ in Hungarian shops

Paper size

C0 – The envelope for A-size– Ratio of sides 1:2– 917x1297 mm

Mirror

Inner margin

Outer margin

Outer margin

Bottom margin

Top margin

1 2

1,5

2,5-3

Mirror

Should be the same in the whole document

Diplom work

Chapters Heading Highlighting Pictures, picture titles Title page Bibliography Table of contents