The very wide indentions made by penmen, who sometimes begin a new paragraph in or near the centre of the sheet, should not be imitated in print. They are unpleasing even in script type.
There are some kinds of composition for which the indention of one em only is insufficient. In all dialogue matter of many short paragraphs, some of them beginning with marks of quotation and some without, the indention of one em and two thick spaces is sometimes used for unquoted paragraphs, and of one em only for paragraphs with quotationmarks. As the two quotation-marks and a following thin space (about the thickness of two thick spaces) occupy but a small portion of the type body, and give but little added blackness to the print, they do not apparently diminish the white space produced by the broader indention of the unquoted paragraphs.[1] An indention of one em for quoted and of one and two-third ems for unquoted paragraphs keeps the capitals in a vertical line, to the improvement of the composition. When the same indention is made for all paragraphs the capitals will be noticeably out of line.
Indentions of three ems or more in a narrow measure are almost as wasteful of space as a full white line. A pleasing appearance can be given to open composition by one-em indention and full white lines between the paragraphs. The object of indention, the leading of the eye to a noticeable
- ↑ See illustrations on page 224.
