Requirements of Japanese Text Layout

2.1.1  Specification of Page Formats

The page format of a Japanese document is specified by:

• Firstly, preparing a template of the page format, which determines the basic appearance of pages of the document;

• Then, specifying the details of actual page elements based on the templates.

2.1.2  Basic Templates of page Formats

Generally, books use only one template forof page format and magazines often use several templates.

Although in books, as mentioned before, there tends to be one template for the page format, the basic pattern is typically adapted. For example, the table of contents may contain small modifications. Furthermore, there are many examples of indices indexes with a different page format than the basic page format, and books in vertical writing mode, often have indexes in horizontal writing mode. It holds also for such cases where the goal is to make the size of the hanmen for indices close to the size of hanmen in the basic page format. ???

Magazines gather articles of different kinds. Often the layout will differ depending on the content of the article. For example, one part may have 9 point character size and 3 columns, and another part 8 point character size and 4 columns.

2.1.3  Elements of Page Formats

[Fig.1]: An Example of a Page Format for Vertical Writing Mode

The following are the basic elements of a Page Format. [Fig.1] illustrates an example of a page format using vertical writing mode).

1. Trim size and binding side (Japanese documents with vertical writing mode mode are bound on the right-hand side, and documents with horizontal writing mode are bound on the left-hand side. See [Fig.2]. )

2. Principal text direction (vertical writing mode or horizontal writing mode).

3. Appearance of kihon-hanmen and its position relative to the trim size.

4. Appearance of running heads and page numbers, and their positions relative to the trim size and kihon-hanmen.

[Fig.2]: Binding-side (bound on the right-hand side and bound on the left-hand side)

2.1.4  Elements of Kihon-hanmen

kihon-hanmen is the hanmen style designed as the basis of a book. The following are the basic elements of kihon-hanmen (See [Fig.3]).

[Fig.3]: Elements of kihon-hanmen (Example in vertical writing mode)

1. Character size and typeface name

2. Text direction (vertical writing mode or horizontal writing mode)

3. Number of columns and column space when using multi-column format

4. Number of characters per line

5. Number of lines per page (number of lines per column when using multi-column format)

6. Line gap (or line feed)

2.1.5  Kihon-hanmen and Examples of Real Page Format

Below are several examples of how the basic page format is created, and how then various elements are placed on a real text page (This and other aspects of how the various elements of kihon-hanmen are arranged on each page are explained in [sec. 2.5].).

1. Space and position of headings

   The space around headings in the block direction is specified by using the line positions provided by the kihon-hanmen as a basis, and by deciding how many lines need to be used. (Details of this processing are defined in JIS X 4051, sec. 8.3.3.d). The line head indent of the inline direction for the heading is normally specified using the character positionsgrid of the kihon-hanmen. The line head indent is specified as a number of character positions. In the example in [Fig.4] the heading is placed in the middle line of three lines of the kihon-hanmen grid. It is indented by 4 characters of the kihon-hanmen grid.

   

   [Fig.4]: Layout example of a heading based on the line positions established via kihon-hanmen

   (note 1)

   Details of the different types of heading, creation of headings, methods for placing headings, etc. are explained in [sec. WARNING! No anchor for section reference: #en-subheading3_1].

2. Size of illustrations

   In horizontal writing mode with two columnsthe width of illustrations should, if at all possible, be either the width of one kihon-hanmen column or the width of the kihon-hanmen (see [Fig.5]). The illustrations are usually set at the head or the foot of the page (See [Fig.5]).

   

   [Fig.5]: Example of illustrations in two columns, horizontal writing mode

   (note 1)

   Details of illustration positioning are explained in [sec. WARNING! No anchor for section reference: #en-subheading3_3].

3. Hanmen size for the table of contents

   The hanmen size for the table of contents of books is based on the size of the kihon-hanmen. There are many examples of tables of contents in vertical writing mode where the size of the left-to-right line feedleft-to-right size is identical to that of the kihon-hanmen, but the text direction size for head and foot top-to-bottom size is a little bit smaller (See [Fig.6]).

   

   [Fig.6]: Design example for the table of contents in vertical writing mode

   (note 1)

   There are cases when a different hanmen than the kihon-hanmen is used for positioning of running heads and page numbers. This will be discussed in [sec. 2.6.2] (See [Fig.49]).

2.2.1  Characters Used for Japanese Composition

Japanese letters used for composing Japanese text mainly consist of ideographic (cl-19), hiragana (cl-15) and katakana (cl-16) characters (see [Fig.7]).

[Fig.7]: Kanji, hiragana and katakana

2.2.2 Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana

Ideographic (cl-19), hiragana (cl-15) and katakana (cl-16) characters are the same size, and have square imaginary bodies of equal dimensions (also known as the outer frame of a character). Aligned with the vertical and horizontal center of the imaginary body there is a smaller box called the letter face, which contains the actual symbol. Character size is measured by the size of the imaginary body (see [Fig.9]). "Character width" is a term to describe the advance width of the imaginary body of a character. By definition it is equal to the "width" of a character in horizontal writing mode, whereas it is the height of a character in vertical writing mode (see [Fig.9]).

[Fig.9]: The Size of Kanji and Hiragana, and the Imaginary Bodies

2.2.3  Principles of Arrangement of Kanji and Kana Characters

In principle, when composing a line with ideographic (cl-19), hiragana (cl-15) and katakana (cl-16) characters no extra space appears between their imaginary bodies. This is called  solid setting (see [Fig.11]).

[Fig.11]: Example of solid setting in horizontal writing mode.

2.3.1  Directional Factors in Japanese Composition

Japanese composition has two layout directions. One is vertical direction (vertical writing mode), the other is horizontal direction (horizontal writing mode). Depending on the contentcontext , either of the directions may be chosen.

2.3.2  Major Differences between Vertical Writing Mode and Horizontal Writing Mode

The following are major differences between vertical writing mode and horizontal writing mode.

1. Arrangement of characters, lines, columns and pages; direction of page progression.

   (note 1)

   The positioning of characters, lines and paragraphs in vertical and horizontal writing mode is defined in JIS X 4051, sec. 7.4.4.

   1. Vertical writing mode. See [Fig.19] for an example of vertical writing mode with two columns per page.

      

      [Fig.19]: Direction of arrangement of characters and other elements in vertical writing mode.

      1. Characters are arranged from top to bottom, lines are arranged from right to left.

      2. Columns are arranged from top to bottom. A book starts with the left(recto) side and progresses from right to left (see [Fig.20]).

         

         [Fig.20]: Progression of pages for a book with vertical writing mode.