Effect of print column width on reading comprehension

  • I have noted that journals and newspaper put their articles into columns, and that often, reports, are not put into columns. I imagine that journals and newspapers use columns in their layout for various reasons. My question is what cognitive pyschology research shows regarding what the best column width is for ease of reading and optimum comprehension.


  • Hi, prometheus-u, I'm interested in this question too. Are you thinking about print only, or are you also asking about length of line on web pages? And are you expecting to see an answer expressed in terms of inches (or picas) or, say, number of characters of a certain size? Your name makes me think of a very long, difficult paper I wrote for a class called Romantic Poets when I was a junior in college. Archae0pteryx


  • Here's some reading that will help answer your question: http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/finetypography/ht/line_length.htm http://www.ronreason.com/personal/bodytext.html http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/resources/resources/exp_lang/print.html


  • I was thinking of the "written" word, whether it be presented as ink-stained wood pulp (print) or electronically, as in the web. I was expecting to see the answer expressed in terms of physical width (incdes, picas, cm) or in terms of a number of words or chaacters...either would be OK, both would be ideal. The question behind the question is how to best present written material to make it easiest for the reader.







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