The Undeniable Importance of Book Margins

Book margins provide a handhold for the reader to use.

The margins of a book are important considerations for designing a book and for improving the reader’s experience. The margins are defined as the empty spaces left on a page around the text on the page. There are four margins on any given page: top, bottom, inner, and outer. Let’s learn more about just how important book margins are.

What Book Margins Do

Did you know that the book margins are also called the “white space” in a book? The white space is a critical part to include in any book for the following reasons:

• Improves the look of the page: Properly positioning the margins on a page create the effect that the page’s contents are centered on the page. This alignment style is easier on the eye and improves the overall look of the page. Margins also serve to help distinguish between two pages that face one another.
• Makes the book easier to read: Along with better-defined pages, margins help to make the book easier to read. The texts and images contained on the page are given better contrast, and everything is framed. This framing technique guides the eye to where it should go while facilitating reading since the eye won’t wander.
• Helps reader hold onto the book: Book margins also provide a handhold for the reader to use. Holding the covers of the book open is a good start, but margins indicate where the fingers should go to hold onto the particular page in use. If the margins are not wide enough, the reader would have no choice but to obscure some of the text while holding onto the book. When text is blocked out, it might cause the reader to miss something and frustrate them; frustrated readers are more likely to stop reading altogether.
• Allows room for annotation: Sometimes, reading is more enjoyable when the reader wants to add notes or comments in the margins.
• Provides safe zone: Margins also form a safe zone for the book during production. The pages within a book are frequently assembled before being cut to better fit within the covers; thus, the pages can be protected against accidental damage while the book is assembled.

Determining Margin Size

When designing or binding a book, it is important to remember that the size of the margins matter. Smaller margins allow more content to be included, but also make the overall book design unattractive. By choosing wide book margins, you can ensure a better-looking book that will survive the production process intact.

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