Tekstkolommen

Tekstkolommen are vertical blocks of body text used in page layout. The term, common in Dutch typography, describes how text is divided into columns on a page or screen. This arrangement can improve readability and balance, allowing designers to place images and other elements around the text. Tekstkolommen are widely used in newspapers, magazines, reports, and e-readers to create a rhythm and guide the reader through the content.

Typical parameters include the number of columns (one or more), the width of each column, and the gutter, the space between columns. Columns are usually aligned to a baseline grid and balanced so that widows and orphans—single words or short lines left alone at page tops or bottoms—are avoided. A well-designed column layout distributes text evenly across a page or spread.

Applications span print and digital media. In print, tekstkolommen are fixed in the page design, with margins and column counts chosen for readability. In web design, multi-column layouts can be created with CSS properties such as column-count, column-width, and column-gap, with column-span used for spanning elements. Responsive designs adapt the number of columns to screen size.

Good practices for tekstkolommen include keeping line length within readable limits, typically roughly 40–75 characters per line, and ensuring comfortable vertical rhythm. Hyphenation, line breaks, and font choice influence legibility. Accessibility considerations also favor clear contrasts and scalable text to accommodate diverse readers.