Daily Dose of DTP: 34. How Long is the Line?

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Daily Dose of DTP 34. How Long is the Line? From Jacci Howard Bear, your Guide to Desktop Publishing Desktop publishing often uses formulas to calculate the ideal size, height, width, length, resolution, or other characteristic of an image or some aspect of a layout. Formulas don't necessarily provide hard and fast numbers but they do offer a suitable range to shoot for. With experience you'll learn how to adjust them for your specific needs or you may find you can forgo the calculations entirely. But for right now, follow the formulas for best results. Class Notes: This is not simply a word-a-day course. The lessons follow a specific order in roughly the following groupings: General concepts > Things you need > Font specifics > Image specifics > Prepress & Printing > Rules & Tutorials (bold indicates the stage in which this lesson falls) Rule #6 of Desktop Publishing Balance Line Length with Type Size Almost any reasonable line length will work in a design if combined with the right size font. The trick is to find the right combination. Today's Trivia Point Me to the Picas One of the line length formulas in today's lesson references a unit of measurement that you may not recognize: picas. You may never have to actually use pica measurements but they can be a useful alternative to inches and fractions of inches. A pica is a typesetting unit of measurement commonly used for measuring lines of type. One pica equals 12 points. There are 6 picas to an inch. Although points and picas will be covered in a future intermediate class, if you want to get a headstart, go ahead and Plunge into Picas This email is written by: Jacci Howard Bear Desktop Publishing Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Missing a lesson? Click here. About U. is our collection of free online courses designed to help you learn a new skill, solve a problem, get something done, or just learn more about your world. Sign up now, and we will email you lessons on a daily or weekly basis. You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the About.com 'Daily Dose of DTP' email. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2010 About.com   Advertisement