Spacing

 

Line spacing may be adjusted from within the Paragraph Settings dialog.  Click the Spacing tab. Line spacing may be adjusted with the Fixed line spacing adjustment or the Automatic line spacing adjustment, also known as auto leading (pronounced "letting").  Automatic line spacing adjusts spacing if the size of the font is changed and it is recommended for general use, particularly if you plan to use different font sizes in the document.   Spacing between paragraphs is adjusted with the Extra Spacing After Each Paragraph slider control.

 

Spacing for the whole document (or from the position of the cursor to the end of the document) can also be set using the Page Layout dialog. See Page Layout: Spacing.

 

Fixed Line Spacing

 

The Fixed line spacing control enables you to increase or decrease the space between lines of text.  Unlike Automatic spacing (see below), Fixed line spacing does not take the vertical length of characters of the preceding line into account and does not adjust if the font size is changed. Fixed line spacing is calculated from the base line of the preceding sentence (Automatic line spacing calculates its line spacing from the bottom of the lowest character of the preceding sentence).

 

To adjust Fixed line spacing:

 

1Click Format, Paragraph. The Paragraph Settings dialog will open.
2Click the Spacing tab.
3Click Fixed radio button.
4Click drop down list box to select a fixed line spacing value.
If the spacing value you desire is not listed, select Custom from the drop down list, then use the Spacing slider control on right to increase and decrease the Fixed line spacing.  You may also directly enter a value into the slider window to adjust the Fixed line spacing value.
Observe the Preview window for an indication of how adjusting Fixed line spacing affects your text.
5Click Apply to: field and choose one of the following options.
Insertion Point Forward - selected spacing is applied from the place of cursor to the end of the document
Paragraph Forward - selected spacing is applied from the current paragraph to the end of the document
Current Paragraph - selected spacing is applied to the current paragraph only
Document Default - selected spacing is made the default alignment for the entire document
Selected Text - selected spacing is applied to the currently highlighted block of text
6Click OK

 

Automatic Line Spacing (Auto Leading)

 

The Automatic line spacing control enables you to increase or decrease the space between lines of text.  Often at larger point sizes, the bottom a preceding line may touch the top of a subsequent line -- especially if the first line contains a lower case j, p, q or y.  In such cases Automatic line spacing should be used to add additional spacing between lines.   Unlike the Fixed line spacing adjustment, Automatic line spacing takes into account the vertical length of characters that make up a preceding line.  It then places the subsequent line lower than the lowest character of the line above.  For example, an Automatic line spacing value of one places lines one space below the bottom of the lowest character of preceding lines.  This prevents a preceding and subsequent line from touching.

 

To adjust Automatic line spacing:

 

1Click Format, Paragraph
2Click the Spacing tab.
3Click Automatic radio button.
4Use slider control on right to increase and decrease Automatic line spacing value
You may also directly enter a value into the slider window to adjust the Automatic line spacing value
Observe the Preview window for an indication of how adjusting the Automatic line spacing value affects your text
5Click Apply to: field and choose one of the following options
Insertion Point Forward - selected alignment is applied from the place of cursor to the end of the document
Paragraph Forward - selected alignment is applied from the current paragraph to the end of the document
Current Paragraph - selected alignment is applied to the current paragraph only
Document Default - selected spacing is made the default alignment for the entire document
Selected Text - selected spacing is applied to the currently highlighted block of text
6Click OK

 

Extra Spacing After Paragraph

 

In order to increase the space after a paragraphs, the Extra Spacing After Each Paragraph control has been provided.

 

To adjust the space after a paragraph:

 

1Click Format, Paragraph
2Click the Spacing tab.
3Use Extra Spacing After Each Paragraph slider to increase and decrease spacing value.
You may also directly enter a value into the slider window to adjust the Extra Spacing After Each Paragraph line spacing value.
Observe the Preview window for an indication of how adjusting the Extra Spacing After Each Paragraph line spacing value affects your text.
4Click Apply to: field and choose one of the following options.
Insertion Point Forward - selected alignment is applied from the place of cursor to the end of the document
Paragraph Forward - selected alignment is applied from the current paragraph to the end of the document
Current Paragraph - selected alignment is applied to the current paragraph only
Document Default - selected spacing is made the default alignment for the entire document
Selected Text - selected spacing is applied to the currently highlighted block of text
5Click OK

 

 

See also:

Line Spacing Commands

Microspace Adjustments

Paragraph Setup

Page Layout