Lesson 1: Assignment

Space After Ending Punctuation

1. Look at real world examples of spacing after punctuation.
   Find examples of professionally typeset, self-published, and desktop printed materials (typed school reports from a student you know, emails you’ve sent or received). Grab some books off the shelf — old and new. Open up some of that junk mail you normally toss in the recycling bin.

   Go through all these items and make a note of 1) the purpose of the document 2) type of font used (serif, sans serif, proportionally-spaced, monospaced), 3) the number of spaces after the end of sentences.
   
   

2. Create your own examples of spacing after punctuation.
   Type the paragraphs of text, below, in your word processing or page layout software — once with two spaces and once with a single space at the end of sentences. Copy each version several times. Apply a different font (style, size) to each version. Print them out.

   {Paragraph}
   Who are you? How do you look on paper? Despite the surge in email use, professionally designed printed stationery packages are crucial to making a good first impression. The purpose of letterhead and related items is to express an identity, beyond the actual words used in the message.
   {Paragraph}
   A basic corporate identity system or stationery package consists of letterhead, envelopes, and business cards. In some cases, labels are also a basic component. If no logo exists and one is needed, logo design may also comprise part of the complete design package.
   {Paragraph}
   Whether designing for a client or for yourself, the first step to developing a successful identity package is getting to know the business for which the package is intended.

   After printing each version of your sample text, look at them, read them. Squint at the page and look for holes in the text created by those extra spaces.
   
   

3. Remove those extra spaces.
   Whether you are the one doing the typing or you receive materials from others, you should have a plan for quickly and efficiently dealing with the removal of extra spaces after punctuation.

   If you don’t already have one, create a script or macro in your word processing or page layout software programs (or both) that automatically finds and strips out extra spaces. If you’ve never worked with scripting or macro creation before, this is a good time to learn. Use some of the text you created in step 2 to test out your macro. Alternatively, practice using the search and replace function of your software to do the job.

Even if you personally prefer two spaces, if you work in a professional environment where typesetting with only one space is required these exercises can help you do your job more efficiently.

The next lesson in this series will deal with another habit carried over from typewriter days — using double hard returns at the end of a paragraph.

^{Found this page by accident? This is one of 12 lessons delivered as part of the Rules of Desktop Publishing free email class.}

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