http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Design/Document-Design/Typography A listing of the most recently indexed works about Design and Document Design and Typography in the field of technical communication. en-us Copyright (c) 2005-08 by the EServer. All rights reserved. tclib-editorial@eserver.org (TC Library Editorial Board) webmaster@eserver.org (Geoffrey Sauer) http://tc.eserver.org/images/newlogo.gif http://tc.eserver.org/dir/Design/Document-Design/Typography http://tc.eserver.org/35559.html http://tc.eserver.org/35559.html If you look through a poster session at a scientific conference, I’ll bet over 98% of their titles are centered at the top of their posters. Why? There is no advantage in reading. Most word processors and other publishing programs start with text left aligned by default, which implies that people deliberately center the text all the time. http://tc.eserver.org/35463.html http://tc.eserver.org/35463.html The most frequently asked questions I get from people who are new to InDesign revolves around Text Wrap; however, there are also questions about text formatting that don’t get asked. But I know they exist because when I’m presenting in front of an audience and I start formatting text, I can see the look of amazement on some folks’ faces as if they’re thinking, “Hey, I didn’t know you could do that!” http://tc.eserver.org/35267.html http://tc.eserver.org/35267.html The sizes listed in the picture above are the default type sizes listed in FrameMaker's Paragraph and Character Designers. If your favorite choices are listed, great! If not, you have to type the size you want into the Size field. If you'd like to modify the Size list so that it includes your favorite Sizes, read on. http://tc.eserver.org/35218.html http://tc.eserver.org/35218.html Formatting automation removes cost from the process of creating and delivering content. For technical documents that change often and are perhaps delivered in multiple languages, it removes a lot of cost. Essentially, we can produce documents inexpensively and give more people access to them as a direct result of lower cost, or we can climb on our typographic high horse and whine about word spacing. I’m with the noisome fanboys. http://tc.eserver.org/33148.html http://tc.eserver.org/33148.html There is an optimum width for a Measure and that is defined by the amount of characters are in the line. A general good rule of thumb is 2-3 alphabets in length, or 52-78 characters (including spaces). This is for legibility purposes. Keep your Measure within these guidelines and you should have no problem with legibility. Please note that this figure will vary widely with research, this is just the figure I use and it seems to work well as a generally rule of thumb. http://tc.eserver.org/33149.html http://tc.eserver.org/33149.html Hanging punctuation is an area of typographic design which has suffered at the hands of certain software products. It's a term which refers to glyph positioning to create the illusion of a uniform edge of text. It's most commonly used for pull-quotes, but I feel the most neglected is that of bulleted lists. http://tc.eserver.org/33116.html http://tc.eserver.org/33116.html The appropriate type size for a publication depends on many factors but there are some general type size guidelines to follow to insure readability for the main audience of your publication. These are not hard-and-fast rules. The more you know about your readership, the better type size choices you will make. http://tc.eserver.org/32560.html http://tc.eserver.org/32560.html We previously discussed small caps and the importance of using true-drawn versions rather than computer-generated, “fake” ones. Many of today’s OpenType fonts include true-drawn small caps, making it easier than ever to take advantage of this typographically sophisticated feature, but the OpenType interface in both Adobe® InDesign® CS3 and QuarkXpress® 7 can be a bit confusing. http://tc.eserver.org/32561.html http://tc.eserver.org/32561.html Garamond typefaces, in both their American and European flavors, are generally considered ideal book faces. The design is also an excellent choice for most other forms of continuous text. Magazines, newsletters, annual reports, lengthy advertising copy – for example – are all naturals for the Garamond design. http://tc.eserver.org/32562.html http://tc.eserver.org/32562.html Even with all the technology at the disposal of today’s designers, in the end it’s what the human eye sees that counts. That’s why hung punctuation is one of the skills to master when you’re ready to add professional finesse to your typography. Learn what hung punctuation is and how to achieve it in the leading page layout applications. http://tc.eserver.org/32563.html http://tc.eserver.org/32563.html Typing two spaces after a period is a relic of the typewriter era that has hung around long past its sell-by date. Here’s how to make sure none of those double-space dinosaurs find their way into your typeset work. http://tc.eserver.org/32564.html http://tc.eserver.org/32564.html Automatic, or manual? No, we’re not talking about transmissions - we’re talking about bullet lists, those frequently used tools for organizing lists of information. Your layout application will be happy to format these lists for you, but for true typographic finesse, it’s time to learn to “drive stick” and call your own shots about bullets, alignment and spacing. http://tc.eserver.org/32568.html http://tc.eserver.org/32568.html Breaking up isn’t hard to do – just do it right so you don’t lose face. Learn why making the right line breaks in display type is essential for good looks and good sense. http://tc.eserver.org/32571.html http://tc.eserver.org/32571.html The keyboard is rarely the friendliest path to symbols and special characters. Sometimes a bit of menu magic can guide you past the overwhelming Glyph palette. Indeed, the Special Character flyout palette in Adobe InDesign CS3 is a great shortcut to frequently-used characters and will spare your fingers the keyboard contortions. http://tc.eserver.org/32572.html http://tc.eserver.org/32572.html Powerful design software makes many choices available to graphic designers, but just because you can do something doesn’t always mean you should. For example, sometimes it’s a good idea to convert your text layouts to outline, but sometimes it isn’t. Learn more about this occasionally necessary, often ill-advised practice before you decide whether or not it’s time to convert. http://tc.eserver.org/32574.html http://tc.eserver.org/32574.html Today’s OpenType fonts come equipped with a virtual buffet of numeral styles, but all those choices can be a bit much for your design application to swallow. Here’s a practical guide to help you find your way through the maze of oldstyle, lining, proportional, and tabular, in both InDesign and Quark. http://tc.eserver.org/32576.html http://tc.eserver.org/32576.html Does designing a table of contents drive you dotty? Next time, remember to say “take me to your tab leader.” Learning how to use your application’s automated tab leader function is a great way to save time and keep your layouts looking professional, down to the last detail. http://tc.eserver.org/32578.html http://tc.eserver.org/32578.html Are your characters depressed? When punctuation marks are positioned next to ALL CAPS, it can leave them looking a little low. Even making small adjustments in a character’s position will create greater visual balance and give your layout a “lift,” especially in display sizes. http://tc.eserver.org/31235.html http://tc.eserver.org/31235.html As business communicators, our goal is typically to influence opinion or change behavior in order to achieve business objectives. To accomplish this, we must get people to interact with our message. A page of 12-point Times New Roman text is seldom compelling, so what you are left with to persuade people to read your publication is graphic design. http://tc.eserver.org/29483.html http://tc.eserver.org/29483.html The number of type faces in use today runs into the thousands and as such presents difficulty in selecting the appropriate design for a particular job. Because there are so many type designs to choose from, it is easier to first choose a general type style or classification to suit your graphic design, and then, look for a particular type face that relates to that classification. http://tc.eserver.org/29478.html http://tc.eserver.org/29478.html Copy preparation is a skilled job which, if done properly, assists the smooth flow of work through later stages of the production cycle. All personnel, especially those involved in the composition areas, have seen the results of ineffective copy preparation. http://tc.eserver.org/29480.html http://tc.eserver.org/29480.html Principles of design should always be incorporated in any graphic design project to assist its communicating and graphic interest, however in the planning of a basic design, the designer must produce a job to suit the class of work, the copy, and the tastes of the customer. http://tc.eserver.org/29479.html http://tc.eserver.org/29479.html In the year 1898 the English typefounders, as a body, adopted a system (which had been in use in America since 1878) of casting their types to a certain fixed standard. That standard was the American pica, 83 of which equalled 35 centimetres. The pica, which measured 4.21mm, was divided into 12 equal parts called 'points', which makes the size of a point approximately 0.35 mm. http://tc.eserver.org/29484.html http://tc.eserver.org/29484.html Typing or setting text lines to the same length so that they line up on the left and the right is known as 'justification.' The information that you are now reading has been typeset using this method. The practice originated with Mediaeval scribes who ruled margins and text lines so as to speed writing and fit as many characters on a line as possible. http://tc.eserver.org/29487.html http://tc.eserver.org/29487.html A glossary of typographers' terms. http://tc.eserver.org/29236.html http://tc.eserver.org/29236.html The structure of print and on-screen documents is made explicit through headings and links. Three important concepts for understanding explicit structure are (1) the display-unit properties of each document medium, (2) the flexible relationship between explicit and implicit structure, and (3) the distinction between populated and unpopulated locations in a hierarchy. These concepts help us better understand standard print documents, structured writing, websites, help systems, and PowerPoint, as well as the potential effects of content management systems on how documents are created. http://tc.eserver.org/29047.html http://tc.eserver.org/29047.html Structured abstracts contain more information, are of higher quality, and are easier to search and read than are traditional abstracts. However, there is a bewildering variety of ways in which structured abstracts can be printed and little is known about how the typography of structured abstracts can affect their clarity. The aim of this article is to delineate some of these major typographic variables and to comment on their effects upon the layouts of structured abstracts. http://tc.eserver.org/27470.html http://tc.eserver.org/27470.html Margaret Richardson explores South African magazine i-jusi. http://tc.eserver.org/25308.html http://tc.eserver.org/25308.html To identify type or recognise a wrong font, you must know what the variables are, because differences amongst the thousands of type faces available today can be minute. Since an untrained eye cannot distinguish even gross differences, you should become familiar with the fundamental features of type. http://tc.eserver.org/25055.html http://tc.eserver.org/25055.html OpenType fonts act just like PostScript Type 1 or TrueType fonts in programs like Microsoft® Word or QuarkXPress, but Adobe® InDesign® can perform special tricks with them, such as replacing characters with swashes (fancy versions of a letter), or with ligatures for character pairs such as “ct” and “ffi.” InDesign ships with several OpenType fonts, including Adobe Garamond® Pro, Adobe CaslonTM Pro, Caflisch Pro, and Kozuka Mincho Pro (a Japanese typeface). http://tc.eserver.org/23143.html http://tc.eserver.org/23143.html The organization of your document in combination with its typographic and graphic elements comprise its design. Good design improves your document's ability to communicate effectively. Novice document designers will want to attend this workshop to learn how to use design to their advantage. http://tc.eserver.org/22390.html http://tc.eserver.org/22390.html Gewisse WingDings Zeichen fehlen, wenn ein PDF File erstellt wird. Dies ist unabhängig davon, ob Winword (Office 97) oder eine andere Applikation benutzt wird. Ausserdem spielt es keine Rolle ob das PDF mit dem Word Makro erstellt wurde oder nicht. http://tc.eserver.org/21866.html http://tc.eserver.org/21866.html Acrobat lets you 'pack' fonts into a PDF in three basic ways: by fully embedding, subsetting, or not embedding them. Each method differently affects a PDF file's size, editability, and typographic fidelity. http://tc.eserver.org/20419.html http://tc.eserver.org/20419.html One of the most irritating typographic faux pas is the use of straight quotation marks (also called ‘dumb’ quotes) instead of true typographic quotation marks (‘smart’ or ‘curly’ quotes). How did this dumb-versus-smart muddle begin? Blame the engineers: the standard keyboard layout (which was not created by typographers!) has straight quotes in place of real quotes. As designers, it’s our job to use our ‘smarts’ to work around this all-too-common problem. http://tc.eserver.org/20411.html http://tc.eserver.org/20411.html Setting type means selecting and arranging groups of characters, but not all of those characters have to be part of the alphabet. Dingbats are non-typographic elements that can enhance your work by adding variety and functionality. http://tc.eserver.org/20410.html http://tc.eserver.org/20410.html Can you find the fractions on your keyboard? If not, you’re not alone. Believe it or not, there are no designated keystrokes for fractions on a Mac. PCs offer a few (1/4, 1/2, 3/4), but they’re so well-hidden most users can’t find them anyway. Yet fractions appear fairly often in copy, so what’s a person to do? It’s too frustrating by half! http://tc.eserver.org/20408.html http://tc.eserver.org/20408.html When setting type, most of us are very conscious of type style, size, width and line spacing. Many of us also pay attention to letter spacing and kerning, even if we’re not as confident in these areas. But word spacing--the space between words--is probably the most neglected of typographic attributes. This seemingly small detail plays an important role in the color, texture and readability of your type. http://tc.eserver.org/18337.html http://tc.eserver.org/18337.html How will the character be inserted into typeset copy? Every time typesetters set a piece containing a monetary amount in Euros, they will have to type a character that doesn't exist in most typeface character sets. A partial remedy is the inclusion of a Euro character in the character set of Macintosh and Windows. For instance, starting in Mac OS 8.5, pressing Option-Shift-2 will insert the Euro character — but only in the fonts that come with the Mac. Older fonts will insert a different character.