Writing Tip : Line spacing and you

Line spacing and you

Summary

This article discusses how and why to vary your line spacing when using Microsoft Word.

 
You probably know your word processor well enough to be able to get single-spacing, one-and-a-half spacing and double spacing, but are these sufficient? Well, probably not. Just look for yourself:
 

 
If you agree that single spacing is too tight and one-and-a-half spacing a bit too loose, it follows that we need something in between the two. With Microsoft Word, it's easy to get any spacing you like; for example, one-and-a-third or even one-and-three-elevenths.
 
How? Simple. Just select the Paragraph command from Word's Format menu. You'll see a dialogue like this one:
 

(This example uses Word 2000. Other versions may appear a little different.)

 
Note the pop-up menu labelled Line spacing. Here you'll see the common line- spacing values of Single, 1.5 lines and Double. The one that interests us most is Multiple.
 
Let's say that you want one-and-a-quarter line spacing. Just select Multiple from the pop-up menu and set the value to the right to be 1.25. That's all there is to it. If you want more space, try 1.33.

What line spacing is best?

As a rule of thumb for small text, try using a line spacing around one-and-a-quarter to one-and-a-third times the font size. Experiment, though, to discover what you prefer. Here are some examples: