Widow (typesetting)
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In typesetting, there are two, conflicting definitions of the term widow. One describes the last line or word of a paragraph appearing at the top of a page, with the remainder appearing on the preceding page. The other describes a single word or syllable left alone at the bottom of a paragraph.
Widows in both senses are considered confusing and typographically unattractive, and they are usually corrected.
Some of the techniques for eliminating an unwanted widow include:
- turning lines in the paragraph so that an extra line is transferred to the following page,
- adjusting the leading (rhymes with "heading"), the space between lines, or inter-paragraph spacing,
- adjusting the tracking, or sometimes the word spacing to produce 'tighter' or 'looser' paragraphs,
- subtly adjusting the page's margins,
- subtle digital scaling of the page - either horizontally or vertically, or both - though too much non-uniform scaling can visibly distort the letters,
- rewriting the paragraph.
Many typesetters have a trouble remembering the difference between orphans and widows, and it seems that the traditional distinction has become somewhat blurred over the years. Collins English Dictionary defines "widow" in printing as "A short line at the end of a paragraph, especially one that occurs as the top line of a page or column".
[edit] References
First Sense:
- [1] TeX FAQ - Controlling widows and orphans, accessed March 16, 2006.
- Collins English Dictionary 6th edition. Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers, 2003. ISBN 0-00-710982-2
Second Sense:
Persistence of Both Senses:
