Page Proportions
PAG E S I Z E
How will someone interact with this book?
What is the content?
How will the book be produced?
1 FOL D / T WO L E AV E S / FOU R PAGE S / FO L IO
2 FOL DS / FOU R L E AV E S / EIGH T PAGE S / Q UA RTO
3 FOL DS / EIGH T L E AV E S / SI X T EEN PAGE S / O CTAVO
A L DU S M A N U T I U S I S C R E DI T E D
W I T H I N T RO DU C I N G T H E
O CTAVO I N 15 01 TO FAC I L I TAT E
PORTA B L E R E A DI N G FO R
MEN OF LEISURE.
3 FOL DS / EIGH T L E AV E S / SI X T EEN PAGE S / O CTAVO
4 FOL DS / SI X T EEN L E AV E S / 32 PAGE S / S E X TOD E C I M O
D OU BL E EL E PH A N T FOL IO
up to 50" tall
AT L A S FOL IO —up to 25" tall
EL E PH A N T FOL IO — up to 23” tall
FOL IO —12"× 19"
QUA RT O — 9.5"× 12"
OC TAVO — 6"× 9"
SE X T ODEC I MO­ — 4"× 6.75"
A M E R ICA N L I B R A RY A S S O C I AT IO N
A PPROX I M AT E B OO K S I Z E S
PAG E P RO PORT IO N S
“A page, like a building or a room,
can be of any size and proportion, but some are
distinctly more pleasing than others,
and some have quite specific connotations.”
—RO B E RT B R I N G H U R ST
The Elements of Typographic Style
H & M Publishers, 1992
T H E G O L D E N S E CT IO N
a : b = b : (a+b)
b
a
b
a
a : b
1 : 1.618
1 : ϕ
1 : 1.618
“A dominant influence on the sense of proportion
in Western art is the golden section”
—JO H N K A N E
A Type Primer
Prentice Hall, 2003
T H E F I B O NAC C I S E Q U E N C E
a sequence of numbers where
each number is the sum
of the two previous numbers
1» 2 » 3 » 5 » 8 »13 » 21» 34 »
1
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
2
1
3
5
1
2
1
PAG E DI M E N S IO N S = G O L D E N S E CT IO N
S PR E A D DI M E N S IO N S = G O L D E N S E CT IO N
T E X T B LO C K = G O L D E N S E CT IO N
M A RG I N PROPORT IO N S = F I B O NAC C I S E Q U E N C E
P E N G U I N B OO K C OV E R S
ROOT R E CTA N G L E S
2
in the 1920’s in Germany,
the root two rectangle
became the standard proportion
for paper size
a full press sheet is 1 meter ²
this system was adopted widely
(although not in the U.S.)
and was implemented by the
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
P E N TAG O N PAG E S
T H E P E N TAG O N PAG E
T H E S H ORT P E N TAG O N
T H E T RU N CAT E D P E N TAG O N
T H E T U R N E D P E N TAG O N
T H E B ROA D P E N TAG O N
T H E TA L L P E N TAG O N
T H E P E N TAG O N W I N G
H E X AG O N PAG E S
T H E H E X AG O N PAG E
T H E B ROA D H E X AG O N
T H E T U R N E D H E X AG O N
T H E H E X AG O N W I N G
T Y PO G R A P H I C S Y S T E M S
0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 233
M ODU L A R S CA L E
LINE MEASURE
I N P I CA S
POI N T
SIZE
0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 233
P RO PO RT IO N S
O F M A RG I N S
PAG E
PROPORT IO N S
L E A DI N G
M ODU L A R S CA L E
T R A DI T IO NA L M A N U S C R I P T M E T H OD
T R A DI T IO NA L M A N U S C R I P T M E T H OD
T R A DI T IO NA L M A N U S C R I P T M E T H OD
T R A DI T IO NA L M A N U S C R I P T M E T H OD
T R A DI T IO NA L M A N U S C R I P T M E T H OD
T R A DI T IO NA L M A N U S C R I P T M E T H OD
T R A DI T IO NA L M A N U S C R I P T M E T H OD
T R A DI T IO NA L M A N U S C R I P T M E T H OD
T R A DI T IO NA L M A N U S C R I P T M E T H OD
text = Adobe Caslon 9 / 12
I N S I D E - OU T
text = Adobe Caslon 9 / 12
gutter & indent = 12 points (1p0)
I N S I D E - OU T
text = Adobe Caslon 9 / 12
gutter & indent = 12 points (1p0)
top, inside & outside margins = 3p0
I N S I D E - OU T
text = Adobe Caslon 9 / 12
gutter & indent = 12 points (1p0)
top, inside & outside margins = 3p0
bottom margin = 6p0
I N S I D E - OU T
text = Adobe Caslon 9 / 12
gutter & indent = 12 points (1p0)
top, inside & outside margins = 3p0
bottom margin = 6p0
9 columns / 12 rows
I N S I D E - OU T
text = Adobe Caslon 9 / 12
gutter & indent = 12 points (1p0)
top, inside & outside margins = 3p0
bottom margin = 6p0
9 columns / 12 rows
bullet space = 0p6
I N S I D E - OU T
“Improvise, calculate, and improvise some more.”
—RO B E RT B R I N G H U R ST
The Elements of Typographic Style
H & M Publishers, 1992