Double-space vs. Single-space

Back when there were typewriters (ah, I remember them well) there were monospace fonts. This meant that all letters took up the same space. So the "i" was the same width as an "m" and the page was full of irregular white space. Rules had to be established to make it easy to see the end of a sentence, so people were taught to include two spaces after a period.

Today, computers are used, and fonts have been improved so that letters are proportional. This means that the "i" now takes up much less space than an "m" and the spacing issue has become non-existent. Now if double-spaces are used after periods, it tends to make the paragraph look like it’s been blasted with buckshot (or needless space).

The old "typewriter" double-spacing rule is no longer needed, but old habits die hard. “The Complete Manual of Typography”, writes that Europe began to single space around the early 20th century with America following soon thereafter. While Wikipedia states that the standard changed to single-spacing around 1950. And yet kids are still taught double-spacing in keyboarding classes today.

Most style guides instruct that single-spacing is the rule, but the bottom line is that single-spacing makes the text flow, and improves readability. (See example shown right). So if you send IdeaBank copy for brochures or websites that includes double-spacing, we’ll strip it out because at IdeaBank, we’re all about readability – in content AND typesetting.

We encourage you to turn over a new leaf and join us in our efforts to improve readability for all. So kick that typewriter habit and start using only ONE space after a period in all your documents and emails. Think of all the time it will save you in the end! You could change your 40wpm to 50!

For more information check out the free online style guide from The Modern Language Association.