Text & Formatting
Advanced Paragraph Spacing
Master paragraph spacing, indentation, line spacing, and vertical space control in LaTeX for professional document layout.
Proper spacing is crucial for readable, professional documents. This guide covers advanced techniques for controlling paragraph spacing, indentation, line spacing, and vertical space in LaTeX.
Key principle: LaTeX handles most spacing automatically. Only adjust when necessary for specific formatting requirements.
Paragraph Spacing Basics
Default Behavior
LaTeX’s default paragraph handling:
- First line indented
- No extra space between paragraphs
- Justified text alignment
Controlling Paragraph Spacing
Line Spacing
Basic Line Spacing Commands
Local Line Spacing
Vertical Spacing
Adding Vertical Space
Flexible Vertical Space
Indentation Control
Managing Paragraph Indentation
Hanging Indentation
Special Spacing Environments
Quote and Quotation Environments
Custom Spacing Environments
List Spacing
Controlling List Spacing
Page Layout Spacing
Margins and Text Area
Section Spacing
Advanced Techniques
Baseline Skip Control
Rubber Lengths
Troubleshooting Spacing Issues
Common Problems and Solutions
Best Practices
Spacing guidelines:
- Consistency: Use the same spacing throughout similar elements
- Readability first: Don’t sacrifice readability for density
- Document class: Choose appropriate class for spacing defaults
- Global settings: Set document-wide spacing in preamble
- Local changes: Use grouping
{}
for temporary changes
Quick Reference
Command | Purpose | Example |
---|---|---|
\parskip | Space between paragraphs | \setlength{\parskip}{1em} |
\parindent | Paragraph indentation | \setlength{\parindent}{0pt} |
\baselineskip | Space between lines | \setlength{\baselineskip}{15pt} |
\vspace{} | Vertical space | \vspace{1cm} |
\hspace{} | Horizontal space | \hspace{2em} |
\bigskip | Large vertical space | \bigskip |
\noindent | No indent for paragraph | \noindent Text |
Next: Explore Font selection and customization to enhance your document’s typography.