In Typography, What are Gutters?
When typographers talk about gutters, they are not referring to to channels or troughs on roofs used to direct water. However, they are referring to a similar concept. Typographic gutters are the white spaces between two pages of a book, or more generally, between columns of text. They are a type of margin, and arranging gutters properly is a crucial element of typography. Poorly spaced gutters can make text difficult to follow or read. In the case of gutters between the pages of a book, badly designed gutters can actually obscure some of the text. In this instance, if the gutters are not made wide enough to allow for the binding of the book, the text will run into the seam of the binding, rendering it difficult or impossible to read. Gutters which are less closely spaced can still pose problems, and arranging gutters is actually a fine art. Much like rain gutters, typography gutters are designed to control and direct something, in this case, the attention of the reader. A solid block
