Decorative initial caps (capital letters) at the start of a paragraph that sit outside the left margin are known as adjacent caps. As with any initial cap, the size and placement of this letter is designed to draw readers into the narrative. The common term drop caps or dropped caps for all initial caps is actually a specific style or placement. Adjacent caps are another specific style or placement of initial caps as are raised caps.
Creating Adjacent Caps
To avoid filling up margins or running text into adjacent columns, build an extra wide margin or gutter next to each column of text to accommodate an adjacent capital letter. You can also make your columns of text wider then use paragraph indenting on all but the first line to create the adjacent cap.Fine-tuning Adjacent Caps
Letters such as N and H line up neatly against the edge of adjacent text. Letters such as A, V, or L (depending on the font) leave gaps. If rewriting so that a different letter is used is not possible, you might consider altering the color of the adjacent cap and sliding it over and slightly under it's accompanying text for a decorative effect that also eliminates that gap. Or, change the font for the adjacent cap. Certain letters that leave gaps in serif or sans serif styles, have a totally different shape in a cursive font.Place the adjacent cap on the baseline of one of the lines of text in the adjacent column. Whether you align with the first line of text with the oversized letter raised above the column or drop your enlarged capital letter down a few lines, aligning it with the baseline helps to tie it to the text and makes for a neater, more professional appearance.
- Fine-tuning Initial Caps describes how to eliminate gaps and improve their appearance.
- Have Fun Using Initial Caps shows how different styles of initials caps may be mixed for a hybrid treatment.
- Incorporate Initial Caps Into Your Page Layout has a variety of tips for making them look better on the page.
