Margin (typography)

[5] Columns were referred to as pagina (or pages) and were separated by margins, so that scrolls could be unrolled horizontally, uncovering individual sections one by one.

[6] Thus, in papyrus scrolls margins performed the function of visually signaling to readers when to stop reading and move down to the next line of text.

[9] Now that each page was separated physically from all the rest, margins became less necessary in distinguishing the beginning and end of the text-block.

Even when no commentaries were added, most books continued to leave space around the text-block on all sides of each page.

Leaving blank space around text protects the typeblock by giving the reader somewhere to put his or her thumbs while holding the book.

[13] The exact effect of margins on legibility has been debated,[14] but some scholars contend that without empty space to offset text, the task of reading could take more than twice as long.

[15] Finally, margins serve an aesthetic function by framing text inside a blank border.

[25] The invention of more sophisticated techniques such as CSS allowed designers to control the margins of their web pages and leave more white space.

[30] Margins also play an important role in digital word-processing and can be changed using the page setup menu.