Line lengths - Print vs. Web
Recently Casey and I had a discussion on what the best line length for readers is and it got me to thinking about the web and if the readers had different preferences for online reading vs. print. The following is what I uncovered:
For print, the shorter the line length the easier on the reader, however, longer it takes to read. So the longer the line length, the faster the read the faster the reader gets tired and stops reading. In terms of actual widths, many say 4″ wide is optimal or approximately seven words long. This seems to be based on lateral eye movement and the fact that the more your eye has to move the faster you get tired of reading.
For the web, the consensus seems to be almost the same except that read time is a bit more important. Readers want information faster and therefore a bit longer line lengths are preferred.
So when designing ask “do you want it read fast, or do you want it read all the way. Just a little info to help keep the world of design a bit more strategic and a little less by gut.
~rg
