All About Indents and Other Paragraph Separators
Indents and other kinds of graphic text dividers are used to physically differentiate one paragraph from another. The purpose of having paragraphs is to separate different thoughts and ideas in the text, as well as to keep the reader engaged with shorter bursts of text and not be overwhelmed by one long block of copy.
Choosing the right method to create paragraph separations not only helps with readability, but also adds flair, creativity, and visual excitement to an otherwise dull page. Although the most common technique is to add an indent to the first line of each new paragraph, there are other kinds of indents and other techniques that can enhance the text, as well as the overall design.
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How would you create a 3-line indent in InDesign?
Hi David. There’s no option in paragraph formatting to indent more than one line in InDesign, so you’d have to use an anchored or inline object with no stroke/fill and text wrap applied to it to push the desired number of lines to the right. Like this: https://creativepro.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/3lineindent.png
You could use a drop cap set to three lines. Give it no fill.
You can use a white space and make a drop of 3 lines.
Is there any real difference between using dingbats and line space?
Just a small comment on first line indent – the most common way is not some fixed space like 1/2 inch but an em space. So when you are doing 10/12 your first line indent should be 10 point. And do not indent the first paragraph!
Just to add that line space is particularly appropriate in technical material: reports, academic essays, instructional material and so on. It allows that visual separation of idea ‘chunks’ of information that apply in technical text and is often used in numbered paragraphs for easy reference to particular chunks.
Good article! I thought you might like to know why text after the first paragraph is indented.
Medieval monks used to draw a red pilcrow at the start of these paragraphs (the pilcrow is the term for the paragraph symbol, as seen when you show invisibles). They would write the text as normal and leave space for it, and a specialist monk called a rubricator would come along later and add the pilcrow.
When Gutenberg produced his first printed bible, he couldn’t do two-color printing so he left a space at the beginning of the paragraphs, and hired a rubricator to come in after the book was printed and paint them in by hand.
But demand for his printed bibles was so great that there wasn’t time for the rubricator to paint in all the pilcrows. So he merely left them out.
That’s why there’s now a space at the beginning of paragraphs. We’re all waiting for the rubricator.