Column (typography)

Column set referred to letterpress the side designed set of a print product. Its single column is called column (from the Latin: columna, " pillar"), especially if they at multicolumn set includes a closed text.

Using the column

The column is a text outline agent. " The column can fill the entire sentence or text area; but this can also be divided into several columns. "

Hence the name infers that the side support in the set at the edge as marginalia been arrange ended columns the column title as page title and include the central, flowing main text. This will free the sides of a unitary structure.

Multi-column set

There are several types of multiple columns. Thus, a continuous text be set in columns (columns set), but also several texts or different parts of the text in columns on a page be arranged ( column block). Multi-column set is usually carried out in principle as justification always the same line length.

The shape of the arrangement with columns selects the book designer or typographer if the parts of the text relate to each other, so are additions, explanations and comments on the main text, for example. Thus, the reading and understanding of the text easier. Here, the columns can have different widths and font size. This type of multiple columns are often found in scientific works, such as the case of legal texts.

The use of multiple columns with continuous text is often found in reference books, magazines and newspapers. The advantage of the multi-column set as text design lies in the fact that, especially with full-size paper, the line length is kept short: Lines 30 to 40 characters can be acquired without much eye movement, the eye, the column that is passed vertically. Thus, although a narrow column set high standards for the justification, the said publication types, however, are not very demanding in terms of the typeface.

The modern, electronically conducted layout of the set throws in multiple columns special problems because of the upheaval can no longer be handled with simple control characters such as line breaks and page breaks: The body text must be in text change from one flow to the next column, and only from the last column of the page in the first column of the next page. Then there are the more complex problems of the column set, in which about a column for another text is reserved and must be excluded from the break, or even just a half- column, half the height of a column.

In also available for the end user office suites of desktop publishing column set is now usually integrated into the Broad. The web design features but still no generally used method for column set.