10 - Osprey requirements for print

10.1 - Font

  • Serif font
  • Maximum resolution
  • 10, 11, 12 point (larger for hardbacks, children’s books, etc.)
  • Good contrast between stem and serif weight (ideal proportion 18%)
  • Easily recognizable characters
  • Large character set
  • Italics for emphasis, not bold or underline

10.2 - Inter-character spacing

  • Tight letter-spacing
  • Not so tight as to cause collisions
  • Tight enough to enable easy word recognition
  • Ampersand
  • Ligatures
  • Pair kerning

10.3 - Inter-word spacing

  • Close spacing
  • One-sixth em minimum for print
  • One-fifth should be average
  • May require more depending on typeface

10.4 - Line length

  • Around 66 characters & spaces per line
  • May vary with type size, X-height, design of face

10.5 - Fully-justified lines

  • One-em paragraph indents (but not first line of chapter)
  • Requires hyphenation in order to achieve correct inter-word spacing
  • Hyphenation must be dictionary-based for sensible word-breaking (i.e. minimum flow disruption)
  • Syllabic or etymological word-breaking
  • Ideally, no hyphen “ladders” (but they are more acceptable than uneven word spacing)
  • Widow and orphan control to prevent single words, or worse, hyphenated parts of words, starting a new page: syllabic widows unacceptable.
  • Hyphenation should not be used for children’s books
  • Use of pair kerning, ligatures and ampersand assists
  • Close spacing after full-stop and before and after other punctuation marks
  • Use single quotes, only double when “nesting”

10.6 - Leading (interlinear spacing)

  • Ideal is 20% addition to typeface size
  • e.g. 10-point type on 12-point “body”
  • Face-dependent (faces with larger x-height need more)
  • Longer lines need more

10.7 - Text area (no. of lines per page)

  • Should be proportional to page size (sets up perspective)

10.8 - Page size and layout

  • Page size and proportions: 2:3, 1:√3, Golden section. 3:4 is a good proportion, but can’t be used for books because it makes spreads too wide and thus the book unwieldy.
  • Margins should be kept clear (they have a function)
  • Page number, running header
  • Chapter signals (e.g. chapter heading or number)
  • No other “clutter” or distraction

10.9 - Navigation

  • Page turn
  • Thickness of book in either hand
  • Bookmark

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