Do you prefer Centered or F/L Chapters and Heads? - Page 2

Billi · 01-28-2013, 03:18 PM

Honestly, I do prefer headings with a clear message over an abbreviation parade! Please, be kind to us foreign readers here whose mother tongue is not English.
/

To answer your question: I prefer centered and a (quite remarkable) margin to the next paragraph.

theducks · 01-28-2013, 09:35 PM

VARIETY
That said. Books within a series should have a consistent style.

When Left aligned, I prefer a Margin, similar to the Indent. I use Margin-Left because subtitles will have the same offset

I use different fonts, different stroke, with a box (similar to feedbooks),, with a partial box (Top and Right), Big first letter,

Why would I want to be boring? There was a reason (cold type) printshops had drawers upon drawers of different type.

Mono-stylistic is so 1980's dot matrix/ Glass Teletype thinking.

BORING

cromag · 01-28-2013, 10:50 PM

If there is no change in Font, Font size, or bolding, then I prefer Flush Left.

If the Font is different, larger, or bolder, then I prefer Centered.

BadBilly · 01-28-2013, 11:48 PM

I don't have much preference. I suppose I may lean slightly toward centred but not enough that it bothers me if it is not.

SR Roddy · 01-31-2013, 02:16 AM

In non-fiction books I think left is better. Now for fiction books I've seen it both ways and I honestly prefer it centered when I'm reading. I like a little more of an emphasis on where the chapter breaks. That's my resting spot in some cases and I like to be able to noticeably tell where it is while skimming a page.

Sweetpea · 01-31-2013, 03:50 AM

For me, it depends.

If it's only "Chapter 1", I don't mind either way, with a slight preference to center.
If it's a title like "1. The Boy Who Lived", I prefer it flushed left to the margin.

4691mls · 01-31-2013, 09:30 AM

I really don't care about the alignment of chapter headings, just as long as there aren't too many of them. Books that have 100+ chapters when the whole book is only a few hundred pages long - now that bugs me

pdurrant · 01-31-2013, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tilia

I guess I have a small preference towards centred headings, but variety is good. I'm all for artistic freedom in this case.

This.

1611mac · 01-31-2013, 09:45 AM

OP here... I'm quite surprised that it doesn't matter to so many.... I'm also surprised that the issue of reading speed has not come up.

I'm not a fast reader and I'm trying to improve my speed. I find that suddenly having no text on left and having to "jump" to the center of the page to scan for text is disrupting...... Remember, I'm talking sub-heads too. I read a lot of non-fiction and the books I have use quite a lot of sub-heads.

Yapyap · 01-31-2013, 09:54 AM

My preference is also centred, although depending on the text, I'm also okay with left- or right-aligned.

For example if the chapter text starts with an illuminated letter, I do NOT want the chapter title to be anything but centred (and a fair amount above the text). On the other hand, when for example it's a book where the date and time of day of the "action" is important (and is used for chapter headings), then either left-aligned or even right-aligned to me works better than centred.

All this is about fiction; I rarely read non-fiction these days and haven't read any as ebooks.

Ripplinger · 01-31-2013, 09:56 AM

I always thought speed reading basics was to keep your focus somewhat centered, and you automatically pick up what's surrounding to the left and right then. That would make it seem centered titles would be best for speed readers.

But as I said, I'm ok with centered or left or even right aligned for chapter titles, as long as it's consistent through the book and nothing gets chopped off in different readers because of bad formatting. It's the body of the text where formatting is more important to me.

BeccaPrice · 01-31-2013, 10:13 AM

Sub-heads are another matter entirely. Sub-heads should be left-flush, but separated from the text by extra space above, and maybe by being in bold.

HYPE · 01-31-2013, 10:14 AM

Centered. Looks cleaner to me!

HarryT · 01-31-2013, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1611mac

I'm not a fast reader and I'm trying to improve my speed. I find that suddenly having no text on left and having to "jump" to the center of the page to scan for text is disrupting......

Disrupting your reading flow is kind of the point of chapter headings. They're supposed to make you stop and think "new chapter".

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01-28-2013, 03:18 PM	#16
Billi Wizard Posts: 3,388 Karma: 14190103 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Berlin Device: Cybook, iRex, PB, Onyx	Honestly, I do prefer headings with a clear message over an abbreviation parade! Please, be kind to us foreign readers here whose mother tongue is not English. / To answer your question: I prefer centered and a (quite remarkable) margin to the next paragraph.

01-28-2013, 09:35 PM	#17
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,809 Karma: 54830978 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	VARIETY That said. Books within a series should have a consistent style. When Left aligned, I prefer a Margin, similar to the Indent. I use Margin-Left because subtitles will have the same offset I use different fonts, different stroke, with a box (similar to feedbooks),, with a partial box (Top and Right), Big first letter, Why would I want to be boring? There was a reason (cold type) printshops had drawers upon drawers of different type. Mono-stylistic is so 1980's dot matrix/ Glass Teletype thinking. BORING

01-28-2013, 10:50 PM	#18
cromag Surfin the alpha waves ~~ Posts: 24,303 Karma: 459220161 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: New Jersey Device: Jetbook Lite & Mini, Nook STR, Kobo, Hanvon N516, Kindle 2, Androids	If there is no change in Font, Font size, or bolding, then I prefer Flush Left. If the Font is different, larger, or bolder, then I prefer Centered.

01-28-2013, 11:48 PM	#19
BadBilly Nodding at stupid things Posts: 209 Karma: 4097046 Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Toronto, Canada Device: Sony T1, OnePlus 6, Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e, iPad Mini 2, PC	I don't have much preference. I suppose I may lean slightly toward centred but not enough that it bothers me if it is not.

01-31-2013, 02:16 AM	#20
SR Roddy Member Posts: 12 Karma: 504722 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Texas Device: kindle DX	In non-fiction books I think left is better. Now for fiction books I've seen it both ways and I honestly prefer it centered when I'm reading. I like a little more of an emphasis on where the chapter breaks. That's my resting spot in some cases and I like to be able to noticeably tell where it is while skimming a page.

01-31-2013, 03:50 AM	#21
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	For me, it depends. If it's only "Chapter 1", I don't mind either way, with a slight preference to center. If it's a title like "1. The Boy Who Lived", I prefer it flushed left to the margin.

01-31-2013, 09:30 AM	#22
4691mls Wizard Posts: 2,776 Karma: 30081762 Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: US Device: ALL DEVICES ARE STOCK: Kobo Clara, Tolino Shine 2, Sony PRS-T3, T1	I really don't care about the alignment of chapter headings, just as long as there aren't too many of them. Books that have 100+ chapters when the whole book is only a few hundred pages long - now that bugs me

01-31-2013, 09:45 AM	#24
1611mac eWanderer Posts: 523 Karma: 1441998 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: NC, USA Device: iMac,iPad3,iPhone5-Kindle Fire,Touch,PaperWhite	OP here... I'm quite surprised that it doesn't matter to so many.... I'm also surprised that the issue of reading speed has not come up. I'm not a fast reader and I'm trying to improve my speed. I find that suddenly having no text on left and having to "jump" to the center of the page to scan for text is disrupting...... Remember, I'm talking sub-heads too. I read a lot of non-fiction and the books I have use quite a lot of sub-heads.

01-31-2013, 09:54 AM	#25
Yapyap Guru Posts: 861 Karma: 3543721 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	My preference is also centred, although depending on the text, I'm also okay with left- or right-aligned. For example if the chapter text starts with an illuminated letter, I do NOT want the chapter title to be anything but centred (and a fair amount above the text). On the other hand, when for example it's a book where the date and time of day of the "action" is important (and is used for chapter headings), then either left-aligned or even right-aligned to me works better than centred. All this is about fiction; I rarely read non-fiction these days and haven't read any as ebooks.

01-31-2013, 09:56 AM	#26
Ripplinger 350 Hoarder Posts: 3,574 Karma: 8281267 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Midwest USA Device: Sony PRS-350, Kobo Glo & Glo HD, PW2	I always thought speed reading basics was to keep your focus somewhat centered, and you automatically pick up what's surrounding to the left and right then. That would make it seem centered titles would be best for speed readers. But as I said, I'm ok with centered or left or even right aligned for chapter titles, as long as it's consistent through the book and nothing gets chopped off in different readers because of bad formatting. It's the body of the text where formatting is more important to me.

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01-31-2013, 10:13 AM	#27
BeccaPrice Wizard Posts: 2,145 Karma: 11174187 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Sony 350, K3-3G, K4SO, KPW	Sub-heads are another matter entirely. Sub-heads should be left-flush, but separated from the text by extra space above, and maybe by being in bold.

01-31-2013, 10:14 AM	#28
HYPE Groupie Posts: 178 Karma: 1057078 Join Date: Dec 2012 Device: Kobo Aura One	Centered. Looks cleaner to me!