From the course: InDesign: Typography Part 2

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First-line indents

First-line indents - InDesign Tutorial

From the course: InDesign: Typography Part 2

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First-line indents

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- [Voiceover] I'd like to begin this chapter on indents with the humble first line indent. The first line indent plays a crucial role in the readability of text, alerting the reader that one paragraph is ended and a new one is about to begin. First line indents also provide a visual pause and the necessary white space to what otherwise might look like a forbidding block of type. This is what Jan Tschichold, one of the most influential typographers of the 20th century, had to say on the topic of first line indents: "Typesetting without indentation makes it difficult for the reader to comprehend what has been printed, and that is its most important disadvantage. While blunt beginnings seem to create a uniform and consistent impression when compared to normal typesetting, this impression is paid for with a serious loss of comprehension." There's no hard and fast rule regarding the size of first line indents, but one m space, or the size of your type, perhaps a bit bigger, if the typeface…

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