Part1 was all about padding – giving your web page layoutssome breathing space. Now let’s go one step deeper into“breathing space”. If your website has lots of content,paragraphs and paragraphs of text, then this is perfect foryou.

Line Spacing or Line Height:The amount of vertical spacing, expressed in points(or pixels), from the baseline of one line of text, to the baselineof the next line.

Line spacing may not be obvious to the reader but it sure doesmake a difference in how easy it is to read paragraphs online.Basically the rule of thumb is to set your line spacing a minimumof two points higher than the size of the font you’reusing.

Example 1: The paragraph below is Verdana 12px,with a set line height of 14px. This is the minimum line spacingfor legibility.

Example 2: In this paragraph I’ve added 4more pixes to the line spacing giving the line more breathingspace. Verdana 12px, with a set line spacing of 18px.

The second example is easier to read, there’s more roomfor the eye to focus on one line of text at a time, making largepages of content more consumable and less daunting to look at.

Paragraph Density refers to how dense a paragraphlooks on a page. Depending on the font and line spacing combinationyou choose you will have varying paragraph density. Notice how thefirst example is denser than the second.

To test your paragraph density clickhere.