Paragraphs v. Line breaks

One of the first things that designers notice when adding content to a web page, is that 

pressing the Enter/return key creates a lot of space between the lines, some would say 

a sort of double space.  This is because, pressing the Enter/return key creates a new 

paragraph, and thus, there is visual space (the double space effect) to distinguish 

between each paragraph.

NOTE: Since the new lines are 

Perhaps though, you simply wish to add a new line of text to the same paragraph, such 

part of the same paragraph, then 

as when you list contact information: a name, location, and phone number.  Rather 

paragraph formats will apply to all 

than pressing the Enter/return key, you'll want to press Shift+Enter (Win) or 

lines of the paragraph.

shift+return (Mac).  This creates a line break; a new line in the same paragraph.

Figure 5 10 Paragraphs and line breaks

Paragraph headings

The six Heading styles are paragraph formats that help distinguish topical sections, 

similar to an outline, on a web page.  If you're familiar with outlining in Microsoft 

Word, then this is old news for you.  If you're not familiar with outlining, don't 

worry, this isn't rocket science.

First, don't get confused between headings and text size.  Where text size 1 is the 

smallest size and text size 7 is the largest, heading 1 is typically the largest and most 

pronounced formatting, while heading 6 is the smallest and least emphasized format 

ting.  Additionally, text size is a character formatting that can be applied to a letter, 

word, sentence, etc., while headings apply to all text in the paragraph.

Figure 5 11 Comparison of headings and text sizes

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Seattle University Information Technology Computer Training

Formatting Content

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