On 21 Oct 98, Bob Munck wrote:
> I disagree. What is sometimes called "Bell justification" can be very
> easy to read. In fact, research in the area, admittedly done several
> decades ago and only vaguely remembered, has shown it to be among the most
> readable of formats. Of course it has to be done correctly: narrow
> columns, no leading, good hyphenation, widow elimination, etc. It's
> readable because the eye tracks down the center of the column with minimum
> angles to either side.
Interesting. I've studied and practiced typography for a fair number of
years, but I have never heard the term "Bell justification", nor can I find it
in the small handful of type/design reference books I have here in the
office. I don't doubt that such a term exists, but it doesn't seem, so far
as I can tell, to be in the vernacular of most contemporary practitioners.
I can sort of visualize what you're describing, but I must say it does seem
to run counter to everything I've learned about typography. The rule of
thumb I've always followed is that you should avoid anything that breaks
the scanning flow, which for most readers is based on the expectation
that lines will start on the same (left-hand) y-axis all down the page.
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Brent Eades, Almonte, Ontario
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Town of Almonte site: http://www.almonte.com/
Business site: http://www.federalweb.com
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