Many writers assume that single and double-spacing are multiples of the font point size, e.g., if 12 point font is double-spaced there are 12 points between lines or 200 percent. Word processing programs allow a writer to choose among several options for line-spacing-single, double, exactly, multiple. They say “double-spaced.” And in that imprecise prescription, there is room for creativity. But that is not what most court rules require. 33.1(b).Įxperts agree that optimal line-spacing is somewhere between single and double-spaced, approximately 120 percent. Today, the only court that has precise “leading” rules is the United States Supreme Court, which requires 2-point or more leading between lines.
Historically, typeset printers placed strips of lead between the lines of type to achieve the desired spacing. Leading is the space between lines of text. These requirements refer to line-spacing, which requires an understanding of “leading” (rhymes with “sledding”). Most court rules require text to be “double-spaced” and allow “single-spaced” text for footnotes and block quotes. Left-justification is praised over full-justification because it is easier to read and creates variety and contrast. Most commentators are recommending one space after punctuation. Today, with proportional type styles and full-justification, the use of two spaces creates “rivers” of white down the page. In the days of typewriters, two spaces after punctuation was standard because it broke up the monospaced type. One commentator says good typography is whatever “reinforces the meaning of the text.” Matthew Butterick, What is Good Typography?.įormatting includes the important feature of line-spacing and things like the number of spaces after punctuation and the use of full-justification. There is no fixed measuring stick with “good” typography on one end and “bad” typography on the other end.
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See, e.g., Robin Williams, The PC is not a Typewriter (Peachpit Press 1995) Matthew Butterick, Typography for Lawyers (Jones McClure Publishing 2010) see also Butterick’s website. Many other thoughtful pieces on typography are also available. Ruth Anne Robbins, Painting with Print: Incorporating Concepts of Typographic and Layout Design into the Text of Legal Writing Documents, J. The court’s homepage also includes a good article about legal writing that encourages lawyers to “paint” with print. The court recommends that, “ypographic decisions should be made for a purpose.” Requirements and Suggestions for Typography in Briefs and Other Papers at 3, available at “Guidelines for Briefs & Other Papers”. The best advice about typography is simple and important enough that the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals includes it in guidelines found on the homepage of its website. Merriam-Webster Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, Inc. …” Shakespeare in As You Like It, a play about love and hidden identities, explained love at first sight when Rosalind declared, “o sooner met but they looked, no sooner looked but they loved, no sooner loved but they sighed, no sooner sighed but they asked one another the reason ….” The importance of sight is often-stated and well-supported.īroadly speaking, typography is the style, arrangement, or appearance of printed letters on a page. King David wrote, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight. From the earliest recorded literature, we learn the poet’s intense involvement with sight. I thought it was worth continuing the discussion on format and effective presentation with that context in mind.įormat influences our perceptions through the sense of sight. However, those limits still apply in many courts, including our state district courts. So many appellate courts have gone to word count limits on briefs that it is a relatively rare thing in appellate practice to come across page limits. But I recently had to give some thought to the question of writing and typography in the old-fashioned context of paper, and page limits. I have written a number of columns talking about typography, and writing for judges who read screens. The court rules seem to be clear – except the quotes and footnotes, briefs need to be double-spaced.
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