On Fri, 2004-11-05 at 10:53, Timothy Pick wrote:
> LaTeX wraps at 66 characters.
However, if I recall correctly that 66 character count does not include
spaces (which are not characters as far as TeX is concerned). You also
have to factor in the difference between a monospace font[1], which we
are talking about when we say â72 charactersâ, and a proportional font
that LaTeX and Web browsers use [2].
The actual line-breaking algorithm in TeX is a bit more complex than
âbreak at 66 charactersâ, as characters are added and removed from lines
to achieve the best overall look for the document. Packages, such as
"a4wide" can also affect the number of characters on each line. For
example, a paper I have sitting next to me hasâ 71 characters on one
line picked at random.
If you really want to get into worrying about things such as
proportional fonts, line-length, and what an âemâ is, then I suggest
that you grab a copy of âThe Non-Designer's Design Bookâ, by Robin
Williams (Peachpit Press, California, 1994). You will not regret it.
[1] Often a font such as Courier, Lucida Typewriter, Free Mono,
Bitstream Vera Sans Mono, or Computer Modern Roman Typewriter.
[2] Often a font such as Palatino, Times (shudder), or Bitstream Vera.
--
Michael JasonSmith http://www.ldots.org/
