margins, fully justified margins, left-justified margins

The two most commonly used types of margins are left-justified and fully justified.

Left-justified margins

Use left-justified margins for most documents. With left-justified margins, the even spacing between words makes the text easier to read. Also, the ragged right margin creates white space that can make the text look less dense, less rigid and more inviting.

Fully justified margins

Fully justified margins are useful for text laid out in columns, as in newspapers and magazines. The columns appear neater because both the left and right margins are straight, without any indentation; and the uniform space between straight columns is pleasing to the eye.

However, for ordinary documents not laid out in columns, fully justified margins are not recommended. With full justification, some lines have to be stretched out to meet the right margin, so that uneven spaces appear between words. This uneven spacing is unattractive and confusing to the eye, making the text harder to read. For that reason, it is best to avoid full justification in most documents.

© Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada, 2024
TERMIUM Plus^®, la banque de données terminologiques et linguistiques du gouvernement du Canada
Outils d'aide à la rédaction – Writing Tips
Un produit du Bureau de la traduction