Margin (typography)

In typography, a margin is the area between the main content of a page (the text-block) and the page edges. The margin helps to define where a line of text begins and ends. When a page is justified the text is spread out to be flush with the left and right margins. When two pages of content are combined next to each other (known as a two-page spread), the horizontal space between the two pages is known as the gutter. (More generally, any space between columns of text is a gutter.) The top and bottom margins of a page are also called "head" and "foot", respectively. The term "margin" can also be used to describe the edge of internal content, such as the right or left edge of a column of text. Marks made in the margins are called marginalia.

In typography, a margin is the area between the main content of a page (the text-block) and the page edges. The margin helps to define where a line of text begins and ends. When a page is justified the text is spread out to be flush with the left and right margins. When two pages of content are combined next to each other (known as a two-page spread), the horizontal space between the two pages is known as the gutter. (More generally, any space between columns of text is a gutter.) The top and bottom margins of a page are also called "head" and "foot", respectively. The term "margin" can also be used to describe the edge of internal content, such as the right or left edge of a column of text. Marks made in the margins are called marginalia. ===The printed book=== With the invention of the printing press, books began to be manufactured in large numbers. As paper began to be produced in bulk, page size and shape were increasingly determined by the size and shape of mould which was most practical for producers. As pages became more standardized, so did the size and shape of margins. In general, margins in books have grown smaller over time. The wide margins common during the Renaissance have given way to much narrower proportions. However, there is still much variation depending on the size and purpose of the book. ==The digital page== Digital typesetting allows text to be viewed on screens with or without visible pages. Historically, it was common for internet pages to not use margins for this reason. With the development of larger screens and better graphics processing, the addition of aesthetics, and thus margins, became a focus. Technologies such as CSS allow free control of margin size and white space. Although margin-less web pages do still exist, it is common practice to have moderate-sized margins as a readability aid. This is especially useful in contexts where text is sharing space with other forms of data, such as photos or videos. Margins also play an important role in digital word-processing and can be changed using the page setup menu. The default margins for Microsoft Word from version 2007 onward have been 1 inch (25.4 mm) all around; in Word 2003, the default top and bottom margins were 1 inch (25.4 mm), but 1.25 inches (31.7 mm) were given at the left and the right. OpenOffice Writer and LibreOffice Writer have 0.79 inch (20 mm) all around. LaTeX varies the width of its margins depending on the font size. By default, LaTeX uses 1.5 inches margin sizes for 12pt documents, 1.75 inches for 11pt, and 1.875 inches for 10pt—relatively large margins. These adjustments are intended to allow a maximum of 66 characters per line, to increase readability. ==References==

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