Steps for Creating Proportional Margins
Although the technical procedure for modifying margins differs by application, the principles for selecting appropriate margins are universal. Margins create white space, frame the content of your page, and provide space for holding the page (and taking notes) without interfering with the text.
Design Tips
Larger margins with these perfect proportions tend to create a more elegant aura. They are appropriate for many formal layouts and for advertisements that wish to convey a sense of elegance. For high-page-count books, for example, it may be necessary to create larger inside margins to compensate for the portion that is lost in the binding process. After accounting for creep and binding, the inside margins may appear to match the outside margins. Discuss this phenomenon with your printing service. Smaller margins allow for more content and create a sense of informality or even urgency. In some types of publications, such as many paperback books and newspapers, smaller margins are the norm and readers may find more expansive margins to be odd or even uncomfortable. Avoid using the same margins on all sides of a publication. Varied margins are usually more interesting. Of course, there are always exceptions. Some magazines and newspapers use uniform margins to good effect. Papers that use APA, MLA, or other style guides have specific requirements for margins such as 1-inch margins for MLA. Always refer to those guidelines when preparing term papers and other manuscripts that require a specific format.
