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Rag Control

Rag Control example frame

Shaping the ragged edge by hand so it neither steps nor forms accidental shapes.

What it does

In ranged-left setting the right edge is free, and a good rag is soft and irregular: no two consecutive lines nearly the same length, no descending staircase, no wedge or hourglass forming, and no line ending on a short preposition. It is invisible work, which is why it is the fastest way to distinguish typeset material from a text box with default settings. Justified setting trades this problem for rivers of word space instead.

The prompt

A column of text about [Subject] set ranged left with an expertly controlled rag: no two adjacent lines close in length, no descending staircase, no wedge or hourglass shape in the negative space at the right edge, no line ending on a short preposition or article. Single serif at 10 on 14, one column, generous margin. Black on cream, offset print.

Replace [Subject] with what you are shooting. Everything else is deliberate: the gear, stock and lighting are what push a generator towards this look.

Works well in

Ideogram, Midjourney, FLUX

Pairs with

Van de Graaf CanonHumanist Sans

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