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Direction of Text on Tabs
Posted by jimmieakin in
15 Feb 2012 — 8:25am
15 Feb 2012 — 8:25am
Hello,
I was wondering if there is a standard direction in which text should be printed on a tabbed divider - reading downward (text facining inward) or reading upward (text facing outward)?
Many thanks
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15 Feb 2012 — 9:58am
Imagine that your tabs were actual tabs on a manila file folder, sitting portrait-wise in a filing cabinet.
15 Feb 2012 — 11:52am
As a rule of thumb, text is better read when it’s upward.
15 Feb 2012 — 2:48pm
EXCEPT on book spines, because the logic is it runs as though the book were flat on a table — which is to say, upward. I think oldnick's logic makes a similar kind of sense.
15 Feb 2012 — 3:24pm
EXCEPT on book spines
Not so fast:
http://typophile.com/node/65375
16 Feb 2012 — 2:47am
Book spines with the text lengthwise give me such a crick in the neck.
16 Feb 2012 — 10:01am
I would prefer them to read with the baseline outwards, because looking over the document or binder cover and content in order to read the tabs is awkward, especially if it is wiro-bound or a looseleaf folder as the pages will creep out to hide the tab.
Tim