5 ms·

> Justification doesn't change the amount of text on the paper You can fit more characters per line in a justified layout. > It's done to look good, and succe

> Justification doesn't change the amount of text on the paper You can fit more characters per line in a justified layout. > It's done to look good, and succeeds. But it requires work to do right. Absolutely, but well executed left-alignment can also look good, and in a format where you don't necessarily have control over the size of the page and the time to properly justify the text it should be preferred. IMO, left-alignment beats poorly justified text every time.

falsedan 12y ago
> You can fit more characters per line in a justified layout. no you can't
- joshuapants 12y ago
  Kerned properly, you absolutely can. Please don't make authoritative statements if you've only ever justified text by highlighting a paragraph and having the computer do it automatically. editing to be a bit more descriptive: Here's an example: http://i.stack.imgur.com/ahM5C.png http://i.stack.imgur.com/ahM5C.png With hyphenation and acceptable kerning, the justified text has more characters per line.
  - falsedan 12y ago
    justification refers only to adjusting intra-word and -letter spacings, your example shows hyphenation only
    - joshuapants 12y ago
      My example shows, respectively, justification with hyphenation, justification without hyphenation, and left aligned type. You can keep backpedaling, but I have demonstrated that you can have more characters per line with justified text.
wtbob 12y ago
> You can fit more characters per line in a justified layout. Ummm, justification is about adding space to spread a line out: it's impossible to fit more text on a line that way. Kerning is about removing space. It's related to by independent of justification. A well-laid-out work will do both. > Absolutely, but well executed left-alignment can also look good Meh. For printed material I think it's worth the effort to justify. > in a format where you don't necessarily have control over the size of the page and the time to properly justify the text it should be preferred. IMO, left-alignment beats poorly justified text every time. No argument there.
- cauterized 12y ago
  Typically a paragraph of justified text (at least in most word processors) has some lines that are uncomfortably compressed and others that are uncomfortably spread out.

falsedan 12y ago

> You can fit more characters per line in a justified layout. no you can't

joshuapants 12y ago
Kerned properly, you absolutely can. Please don't make authoritative statements if you've only ever justified text by highlighting a paragraph and having the computer do it automatically. editing to be a bit more descriptive: Here's an example: http://i.stack.imgur.com/ahM5C.png http://i.stack.imgur.com/ahM5C.png With hyphenation and acceptable kerning, the justified text has more characters per line.
- falsedan 12y ago
  justification refers only to adjusting intra-word and -letter spacings, your example shows hyphenation only
  - joshuapants 12y ago
    My example shows, respectively, justification with hyphenation, justification without hyphenation, and left aligned type. You can keep backpedaling, but I have demonstrated that you can have more characters per line with justified text.

wtbob 12y ago

> You can fit more characters per line in a justified layout. Ummm, justification is about adding space to spread a line out: it's impossible to fit more text on a line that way. Kerning is about removing space. It's related to by independent of justification. A well-laid-out work will do both. > Absolutely, but well executed left-alignment can also look good Meh. For printed material I think it's worth the effort to justify. > in a format where you don't necessarily have control over the size of the page and the time to properly justify the text it should be preferred. IMO, left-alignment beats poorly justified text every time. No argument there.

cauterized 12y ago
Typically a paragraph of justified text (at least in most word processors) has some lines that are uncomfortably compressed and others that are uncomfortably spread out.