Every now and then I receive a newsletter from a printing company in Marceline, Missouri. The most recent one asked the question, “Why are margins important?” And since this is a printing company, I knew the margins being studied referred to the white space around the edge of a page. I’d not ever really considered them before, even though I worked with graphic designers and printers much of my professional life.
According to the newsletter, margins “provide room for the reader to hold the book comfortably.” Call it thumb space. They also act like a fence to keep the text from being accidentally trimmed off. And they give a book “a feeling of openness” that is inviting.
But books and other printed materials aren’t the only things with margins. In business, the margin is the difference between the cost of an item and its selling price. In society, it refers to those living outside the mainstream; they are often among the most disadvantaged. In math, the margin of error is that amount allowed in case of miscalculation.
And in medicine, particularly surgery, the margin is that area around a cancerous tumor that is cancer free. The surgeon usually removes some of it, as well as the tumor, for further examination to make sure all the cancer cells were removed. Who knew this word did so much work?
Personally I like the printer’s use of it best.