Brochure body text justified with uneven letter spacing and white gaps at line ends—is the software stretching the spacing? Will left alignment fix it?

When brochure body text is justified, uneven letter spacing and white diagonal gaps running from top to bottom often appear. Most of the time this is not broken software settings but insufficient stretchable space in Chinese paragraphs: line length is too long, Chinese and English/numbers are mixed, and punctuation compression and kinsoku are not enabled, so the software can only stretch letter spacing to fill the line end. According to 2026 brochure delivery habits, first lock down the three numbers—font size, line length, and leading—then decide which alignment to use for the body text. This is less trouble than repeatedly fixing letter spacing at prepress. Switching to left alignment usually reduces white gaps noticeably, but it addresses the 'need to stretch,' not every layout problem.

How white gaps get 'pulled' out

Justification means both left and right edges must be flush, so the software can only adjust the stretchable gaps within a line. In Western typography, spaces between words are the main stretchable element; Chinese has no spaces between words, so the only movable parts are the compression around punctuation, spaces between Western words, and letter spacing. When the stretchable amount in a line is insufficient, the software has no choice but to pull apart the distance between every character. Stacked across multiple lines, this forms a white diagonal gap running from top to bottom—what typography often calls a 'river' or white gap.

So a white gap is not a 'typesetting mistake'; it is a mismatch between the alignment goal and the stretchable space in that line. What you need to judge is: how much stretch does this line need, and are there other stretch methods available?

• Line length too long: The more characters per line, the more blank space needed at the line end, and the more obvious the letter spacing gets stretched.
• High mixed-script ratio: When a paragraph contains many English model numbers, figures, and units, Western words cannot be broken freely, making large blank spaces at line ends more likely.
• Punctuation handling not set: If punctuation compression, kinsoku, and allowing punctuation to overflow the margin are not enabled, you are voluntarily giving up stretchable space.
• Columns too narrow: Placing long English words in narrow columns further compresses the stretchable amount.
• Wrong standard for judging: Judging at 50% zoom on screen weakens white gaps, but they become very obvious in print.

First determine: is it the typesetting's fault, or the line length and leading's fault?

When letter spacing becomes uneven, many people's first reaction is to adjust the letter-spacing tracking parameters. But loosening letter-spacing tracking only replaces white gaps with 'visibly stretched letter spacing'—it treats the symptom, not the cause. A more reliable order is to first confirm line length, leading, and line-breaking rules, then decide the alignment. Based on project delivery experience, the 'three looks and one test' below can usually complete one round of judgment within 30 minutes before sending to press.

1. Look at line length: Chinese body text commonly runs 28–40 characters per line (typical range); beyond 45 characters, readers easily lose the line when returning, and the visual impact of white gaps is magnified. The larger the finished trim size, the more line width needs to be controlled.
2. Look at mixed-script ratio: If English words, figures, and percent signs approach one third or more of a paragraph, the risk of justification rises noticeably; consider switching to left alignment or adjusting the columns.
3. Look at line-breaking settings: Check whether punctuation compression, kinsoku, and Western hyphenation are enabled, and whether any words are forcibly broken at line ends.
4. Test with physical output: Set the same paragraph once in left alignment and once justified, print one page at finished size, and read it. Different zoom levels on screen can deceive you.

What counts as acceptable: no visible white gap running through the body text lines, and letter-spacing changes do not create a 'jumping character' feel; in left alignment, ragged line ends are commonly kept within about one quarter of the line width; no isolated half-words appear at Chinese–English transitions. These points can go directly into a delivery checklist.

Left alignment, justification, or force-justify: how to choose?

There is no universal answer among the three; the difference is a trade-off between 'tidiness' and 'stability.' In long Chinese body text, stable letter spacing is usually more important than a tidy right edge; but for magazine text columns with fixed column width and little mixed Western text, justification gives a better visual rhythm. In common 2026 brochure deliveries, body text mostly uses left alignment, while captions and square text blocks use justification depending on the column.

• Left alignment (flush left, ragged right): Stable letter spacing, commonly used for long text; the cost is a ragged right edge, and the layout can look slightly loose when there are many short lines.
• Justification: Flush left and right, suitable for layouts with fixed column width, little mixed Western text, and enabled hyphenation and punctuation compression; narrow columns with lots of English easily produce white gaps and broken words.
• Force-justify (hard-stretching letter spacing): Occasionally used for a single line or headline; not recommended for body text, because changing one character can throw off the whole layout.

From a delivery perspective, you can also compare the following dimensions before deciding:

• Revision cost: With left alignment, later text edits barely disturb the layout; with justification, when content is not final, every text edit can reflow the line count.
• Proofing time: For manuscripts that need line-breaking rules polished, the proofing stage commonly takes 0.5–1 additional working day (experience range).
• Best suited to: Long Chinese text, annual reports, and brochure body text lean toward left alignment; text blocks with fixed column width can be decided by column.

Common pitfalls at delivery and acceptance criteria

A common situation in brochure projects: the client's copy contains many English model numbers, dimensions, and figures, and the proofing cycle is only two or three days. To make the edges look good, the designer sets all body text to justified. As a result, the print shows obvious white gaps and broken words at line ends, and the whole text is finally changed back to left alignment—requiring the page count to be checked again for changes. Under such constraints, the more reliable practice is to agree on body-text alignment before layout begins, rather than changing everything uniformly at prepress.

According to 2026 project delivery habits, the more reliable approach is: set body text uniformly to left alignment first, and lock the three numbers—font size, line length, and leading; then use justification for captions and text blocks with no mixed script; and unify Western hyphenation and punctuation compression rules in advance, writing them into the delivery notes. The cost is a less flush right edge, but the gain is that later text edits barely disturb the layout. If alignment is changed only at prepress, a change in line count may mean the original signature page no longer fits and must be re-laid out.

• Manually adding spaces to fill out: Adding spaces manually to one line for alignment; later, when text changes, the whole layout is thrown off.
• One set of settings for the whole document: Headlines, captions, and body text have different line widths but share one set of alignment and letter-spacing parameters.
• Ignoring orphans and widows: When only one or two characters remain at the end of a paragraph, it is often caused by both alignment and leading, and needs to be handled separately at the paragraph level.
• Judging only by screen zoom: Judging letter spacing at zoom levels other than 100% easily misses white gaps.
• Changing layout at prepress: Changing alignment, font size, and leading together at prepress forces page count and imposition to be recalculated.

Applicable scenarios and boundaries

This judgment mainly targets 'long Chinese body text meant primarily for reading.' If the material is not meant to be read line by line, there is no need to agonize over alignment.

• Suitable for: Body text in brochures, catalogs, annual reports, and product manuals; text columns in multi-column magazines; formal text blocks that require a tidy right edge.
• Depends: For manuals and technical documents with a close Chinese-to-English ratio, test by paragraph before deciding; do not apply one approach to the whole document.
• No need to apply: Headlines, slogans, captions, single-line descriptions, and poster key visual text—short lines set flush left or centered are enough; forcing justification only adds white gaps.
• Not suitable for: Manuscripts that cram long English model numbers into narrow columns and are still being revised frequently; for this kind of content, switching to left alignment and breaking long model numbers as whole units is usually faster than fixing letter spacing.

FAQ

When justified text has uneven letter spacing, can loosening the letter-spacing adjustment fix it?

In most cases, no. Loosening the upper limit only replaces white gaps with visibly stretched letter spacing. First look at line length and mixed-script ratio, then decide whether to switch to left alignment.

How many characters per line is appropriate for brochure body text?

Chinese body text commonly falls in the 28–40 characters per line typical range; beyond 45 characters, readers easily lose the line. Set it according to the finished trim size and font size; it is best to print one page at physical size for a test read.

If the body text uses only left alignment, will it look unprofessional?

No. Left alignment is a common practice for long Chinese text, trading a ragged right edge for stable letter spacing. Whether it looks professional depends more on consistent line length, leading, and punctuation throughout.

When Chinese and English are mixed, how do you handle an English word broken at the line end?

You can turn off Western hyphenation, enable punctuation compression and kinsoku, or manually rebreak that line; for long model numbers, break the whole unit to the next line rather than forcing it into two parts.

If white gaps are found only at prepress, is there still time to fix them?

It depends on whether the line count changes. Changing only the alignment without touching font size or leading usually keeps the line count the same, so the risk is low; if font size or leading is also changed, the page count may need to be recalculated and imposition redone.

If you have a brochure to lay out, it is advisable to first lock down the three numbers—body font size, characters per line, and leading—then decide whether the body text uses left alignment or justification, and write Western hyphenation and punctuation compression rules into the delivery notes. This judgment applies to long Chinese body text meant primarily for reading; short-line text such as headlines, captions, and poster key visuals does not need to follow it. For manuscripts that cram long English model numbers into narrow columns and are still undergoing major revisions, prioritize structural changes rather than fixing letter spacing.