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I ran into a review problem with the layout of one of my docs. It's a
problem I've never run into before. The review medium was PDF comprising
several chapters (15). The deliverable will be perfect-bound printed
copy as well as electronically-distributed PDF.
A chapter ended with a blank page, having only a header and footer,
before the next new chapter. New chapters start on right-hand pages.
Tw reviewers mistook the header on this blank page as body text and
wondered, in their comments to me, why this disconnected text was there.
The layout is currently this: The footer has a line above it and space,
about 0.5-in., separating it from the body text above it. The header is
3/8-in. above the body text. On even-numbered pages, the header (and
footer) begins 0.75-in to the left of the regular text column. Both the
header and footer are sans-serif Arial 11 pt., whereas body text is
serif Times New Roman 11pt.
The header contains the chapter name on right-hand pages and text from
the current level-one heading on the left pages. The footer contains
chapter and page number on the outside edge and book title on the
gutter-side.
The reason I didn't put a line under the header is I didn't want to
frame-in and clutter the page. I figure the edge of the paper typically
is good enough, though I added a line above the footer because my eye
required it (only one, the other was ambivalent ;?). I really think a
second line, one below the header, would be too much.
How can I help clear up the issue of header text that my reviewers ran
into? I have a couple of thoughts, such as make the header text Italic
or maybe put a short, 1/4-in., vertical line to the outside of the
header on left pages only, as a stylistic cue that "hey, this is a
header."
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