No Double Spaces WHAAAAT?

Recently, Microsoft Office announced it will be flagging double spaces between sentences as an error. Here at 342mad, the celebration kicked in immediately. Whether to put two spaces or one after a period has been a never-ending debate typically between content writers and the actual people who create online or print layouts for public viewing. To give the two-spacers more ground to stand on, it is more often called a “style preference” where the one-spacers have history and psychology on their side.

So here is a little history lesson; back when the printing process was by letterpress, letters and symbols were metal or wood pieces that were set by hand to make up the text that would be placed in a press, inked, and then the impression was made on paper. After a period, an “em” space was set. That is the width of the letter m which is larger than the letter n, known as an “en” space. The en space was set between words in a sentence. Many a crossword player is familiar with these terms, but this is about proper implementation. More than just a tool to clarify grammar, punctuation is about the speed and rhythm of text for the reader.

Welcome to the typewriter era and decades of students taught to double space after periods. They were correctly indicating the “em” space, the significant pause that follows a period. With the evolution of personal computers, an extended space, the em space, is automatically added after a period. That’s it. Two spaces are basically four times the optimal space. It is important to remember that when reading a large body of text, too much space after a period can slow the reader down and interfere with the rhythm of a good read (book lovers everywhere just collectively shuddered).

For graphic designers who create reports, brochures, booklets, and other layouts that include large blocks of text, removing extra spaces is just another part of the job. It is more critical to single space when justified text margins are called for. A double space can appear to be a glaring error as the text is manipulated for equal margins. When building a website, it becomes a priority remove extra spaces. Readers tend to be scanners more often than not and great content that is visually easy to read, will provide more value to both the viewer and the business that goes to great lengths to get the viewer there in the first place. Some websites automatically remove the second space, and do not offer justified as a text align option. The point is that major gaps are distracting and lower the quality or professionalism of the site.

Join us in celebrating single spacing after a period! Yes, it is a hard habit to break but what a favor it is for your readers - and your graphic designer!