Determining a Column Width

Summary: When you start to create a document, you need to "lay it out" so that it is inviting and helpful to readers. This tip discusses some of the things you'll want to consider as you determine how wide your text columns should be. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, and Word 2003.)

One of the first things you must do when you plan your page layout is determine how wide a column of text will be on the page. In typography, there is an old rule of thumb that the column width should be no more than 1.5 times the width of the alphabet, in the font you are using. Thus, you need to determine your font before you pick a column width. When you have done this, you can type the alphabet one and a half times, all uppercase, to determine the best column width. Any wider, and the reader's eyes tend to wander as they are reading.

Tip #982 applies to Microsoft Word versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003

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Determining a Column Width