X-VM-v5-Data: ([nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil nil] ["1207" "Mon" "8" "February" "93" "07:58:03" "+0100" "rolf.lindgren@USIT.UIO.NO" "rolf.lindgren@USIT.UIO.NO" nil "26" "Grid layout" "^Date:" nil nil "2"]) Return-Path: Received: from sc.ZIB-Berlin.DE (mailserv) by dagobert.ZIB-Berlin.DE (4.1/SMI-4.0/1.9.92 ) id AA23629; Mon, 8 Feb 93 08:08:16 +0100 Received: from vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de (vm.hd-net.uni-heidelberg.de) by sc.ZIB-Berlin.DE (4.1/SMI-4.0-sc/19.6.92) id AA29721; Mon, 8 Feb 93 08:08:13 +0100 Message-Id: <9302080708.AA29721@sc.zib-berlin.dbp.de> Received: from DHDURZ1 by vm.urz.Uni-Heidelberg.de (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 9388; Mon, 08 Feb 93 08:09:07 CET Received: from DHDURZ1 by DHDURZ1 (Mailer R2.08 R208004) with BSMTP id 1266; Mon, 08 Feb 93 08:09:03 CET Received: from DHDURZ1 by DHDURZ1 (Mailer R2.08 R208004) with BSMTP id 1264; Mon, 08 Feb 93 08:09:01 CET Reply-To: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project Date: Mon, 8 Feb 93 07:58:03 +0100 From: rolf.lindgren@USIT.UIO.NO Sender: Mailing list for the LaTeX3 project To: Multiple Recipients of Subject: Grid layout Status: R X-Status: X-Keywords: X-UID: 946 Aligned baselines, a view from Psychology As far as I can tell, aligned baselines stems from old mechanical typographical devices where it was difficult _not_ to get aligned baselines because type was set to a grid, and illustrations were set to fit into a series of blank lines. _SO_, naturally since we use computers and since a computer can automatize anything we want computers to automitize this effect for us. But is this feature ecologically useful? I'm thinking about the stress on the eye when spacing has to vary from illustration to illustration so as to keep the baselines aligned. What's better, really, psychologically: always the same amount of spacing around elements of the same kind, or aligned baselines to please an aesthetical designed of undocumented functionality which you'll only notice if you view two pages from a distance (this sounds harsher than it is intended!) What I'm saying is: I want aligned baselines because my boss says that high-quality output calls for it. But I'm not sure if I want it if I get to choose, because aligned baselines just may be too global a feature to be detected by the eye, while consistent spacing may be. -roffe rolf.lindgren@usit.uio.no