Known Participant

Question

Non-indented paragraph breaks

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
July 23, 2022
3 replies
780 views

Formatting a book for print with numerous non-indented paragraph breaks in addition to standard paragraphs with indents. To be clear, the non-indented paragraph break is with an added empty line and was used selectively by the author for a stronger pause/separation between some sections/ideas, where a standard paragraph indent wasn't strong enough. The rest of the paragraphs have normal indents.

I'm unclear as to what should happen when the manuscript has an empty line paragraph break that falls at the bottom of a page in layout. How to signify a paragraph break on the following page? Should the top of the next page have:

1. a non-indented start to the line, with no added empty line?

2. a substitution of a standard indent instead?

The issue with #1 is that it gives the impression that the text on the next page is just a continuation of the preceding page, without a paragraph break or even a a new paragraph. #2 would not be accurate to the MS but from a reader's/user's POV, the eye's movement from the bottom of verso to recto is a built-in break of a kind. True as well of a paragraph break at the end of a recto where the act of turning a page is a kind of break.

It would seem that the convention should be more known, but search results on this are unclear. Appreciate any respone.

This topic has been closed for replies.

Willi Adelberger

Community Expert

Never insert an empty line, neither a forced break, nor another paragraph. Use only space before and after in the paragraph style. Those will be omitted at the top and bottom of a page or column.

If a space is between paragraphs I would use non-intended paragraphs.

TypothalamusAuthor

Known Participant

Yes, when a space is between paragraphs, a non-indented paragraph always follows the space. I haven't been observing the best practice of using paragraph styles to apply that space on, and should. If one of the pitfalls of not doing so, however, is that the space 'will be omitted at the top and bottom of a page', I don't think I've seen this occurring, and wonder why.

James Gifford—NitroPress

Legend

Space above and below paragraphs is eliminated—collapsed—at page top and bottom. It's almost impossible to space paragraphs down from the top of pages except by using variations of Rule Above, or pulling the text frame top margin down.

If your spaces aren't disappearing, you're doing something... different. If it's an empty paragraph for spacing, that's a poor practice.

—

James Gifford—NitroPress

Legend

I use a style (usually) named SEPARATOR, set up with a bullet of a style appropriate to the body font and usually a bit more stylish than a dot. I will give it a color tint if I'm using color in the layout, or a grayscale tint if not:

Set the spacing so that the glyph is centered between the margins (this gets a little wonky because you need to shift the bullet position, not the paragraph, per se), and either one full line of separation (if you're using a baseline grid or being meticulous) or equivalent (if not). Tweaking the bullet vertical position can help get a nice, "centered all around" look.

Use it for every instance of that "extra pause" between paragraphs, even if it falls at the top or bottom of a page. You're welcome to try and shift it with text tweaking, but personally, as a reader, I mind a separator at a page bottom or top a lot less than I do getting confused because the author shifted gears and the "pause" disappeared into a collapsed space.

—

TypothalamusAuthor

Known Participant

"... but personally, as a reader, I mind a separator at a page bottom or top a lot less than I do getting confused because the author shifted gears and the 'pause' disappeared into a collapsed space."

Quite an impact from this response.

James Gifford—NitroPress

Legend

It's one of those small book layout details that too often succumbs to esthetics; it "just doesn't look right" so the page break eats the pause-break.

I well remember any number of books where, a few lines into a page, I had to stop and say, "What the..." and re-read until I realized there was a content break in there. I find it very annoying, and even as a fussy, meticulous designer I have no problem parking a separator at page top or bottom.

—

Dave Creamer of IDEAS

Community Expert

I've seen it where the empty line would actually contain a centered ellipsis. A style could be set up to auto-enter the ellipses and use the keep with previous setting.

David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded