None of the Above
Q. In CMOS 15, paragraphs 3.11 and 3.12, you address the subject of typographical widows and orphans. Perhaps I’ve missed it, but with orphans, do you suggest a minimum number of characters for the last line of a paragraph? (For instance, “it.” could end up on the last line.) Or is this simply a matter of what appears best to us?
A. Although CMOS doesn’t elaborate, the specs we send to typesetters say that at least four characters must appear on the last line of a paragraph. I assume that publishers differ on this issue.
