In graphic design and typography, "orphans" and "widows" refer to isolated lines of text that appear awkwardly at the beginning or end of a paragraph, disrupting the visual flow and readability of a layout.
Widow
A widow is a short line or a single word that appears at the top of a column or page, separated from the rest of the paragraph. It looks disconnected and can create visual imbalance.
Example:
A paragraph ends with a single word that jumps to the top of the next column or page.
Orphan
An orphan is a single word or very short line that appears at the bottom of a paragraph, often left alone at the end of a column or page. It can also refer to the first line of a paragraph that appears alone at the bottom of a page or column, with the rest of the paragraph continuing on the next page.
Example:
The first line of a new paragraph appears at the bottom of a page, while the rest continues on the next page.
Why They Matter
Orphans and widows are considered poor typographic practice because they:
- Interrupt the reader’s flow
- Create visual tension or imbalance
- Reduce the overall aesthetic quality of the layout
How to Fix Them
Designers typically adjust:
- Line breaks
- Tracking (letter spacing)
- Leading (line spacing)
- Text box size
- Manual line breaks or hyphenation
This ensures a cleaner, more professional layout.