Using Hanging Punctuation

Attention to typographic detail is one aspect of design that separates the amateurs from the pros. Today's software makes some of these details of typography easier than ever to accomplish. Hanging punctuation, commonly used for pull-quotes, creates the illusion of a uniform edge for the text, with the punctuation outside the margins. It's also called optical alignment. Beyond punctuation, optical margin adjustments may be used to make subtle shifts to allow for the shapes of letters and serifs, such as extending the edge of initial caps outside the outer margin.