Re: [O] setting left margin in PDF output of ORG file

[Michael Strey]

On 2014-04-25, John Hendy wrote:
> I have to ask: is whatever was once considered the golden ratio for
> text-to-whitespace in printed material, or even used by Gutenberg
> himself for proper typesetting considered relevant/best practice
> today?

Yes, at least partly.  "Verachtet mir die alten Meister nicht!" (Do not
condemn the old masters!) -- Richard Wagner

> Default Org -> LaTeX article looks *ugly as all hell* to me.

Check the Komascript classes.

> Other than theoretical principle, is there evidence that readers
> prefer the look of the default LaTeX article sizing?

Beyond all aesthetic meanings, there are some practical aspects that are
valid for all presentations of text to readers.  The most important rule
is that the number of characters per line shall not exceed 70.  Together
with the chosen font, its size, and tracking, this rule defines the
width of the type area.  Together with the interlinear space, this rule
is relevant for the readability.  The longer the line, the larger (but
not to large!) the interlinear space.

Thus for printed papers where the most economical use of paper is
important, a multi-column layout is the way to go to get the smallest
margins.


-- 
Michael Strey 
www.strey.biz