Creating professional quality documents with your word processor isn’t difficult; in fact, the default options in most word processing software are perfect for creating top-notch documents every time.
However, when you start changing the default options and apply special formats to your text, it is just as easy to end up with a poorly designed document that is less than appealing to your reader.
When you’re formatting your document and changing things such as margins, fonts, and typefaces, here are some things to think about:
1. Margins that are too big or too small
Most of the time your software’s default margins will do just fine, providing the optimum amount of white space. If you’re tempted to fit two pages of text onto one piece of paper by adjusting the margins, don’t even think about it -- your reader will tire quickly from reading the document, as the white space allows one to rest one’s eyes.
If you’re trying to make your document longer by increasing the margins, you’ll look like a high school student trying to fool their English teacher.
2. Inconsistent spacing
The margins aren’t the only white space on the page that require attention: You should consider every space you add to your document. The first thing you should look for is consistency -- are you using one or two spaces between sentences and do you stick with it, are you adding one or two blank lines between paragraphs, are your indents in a neat row, etc.
After you check for consistency, you should evaluate whether you’re giving your readers the right amount of white space between paragraphs and other elements on your page. Remember -- Too little and it will look scrunched up and be difficult to read; too much and it looks like you’re padding.
3. Too many fonts
Nothing is more jarring than a document that uses too many fonts, and, for the record, more than one font is often too many. You should stick with a single font for your document -- preferably a serifed font, as they are easier to read.
If you have titles or section headings, a second sans-serif font may be appropriate, although not a necessity. Outside of that, there really is no reason to use multiple fonts. Period.
4. Fonts that are too big or too small
Just as margins and spacing can add or detract from your document’s readability, so can the size of your font. It is no secret why Times New Roman 12 is the default font in Word.
No, not because it is a conservative, business-like font, but because it is easy to read. If you go any larger than 12 it will look like you’re trying to pad your document. Go any smaller and your readers will need a magnifying glass.
5. Too much special formatting
One of the problems with today’s feature-rich word processing programs is that users are always tempted to take advantage of all the formatting options available to them. This spells disaster for the look of a document.
Generally speaking, things such as ornate borders and colored fonts have no place in a professional document, except under special circumstances. They make documents difficult to read and distract from the content.
Along the same line, things you might not consider special formatting -- bold, italic, and underline typefaces can be included in this category. Don’t overuse them; save them for emphasis, headings, or citations.
If you stick to these rules and proofread your work carefully for spelling and grammatical errors, you will produce well formatted, easy to read documents every time.
