# Leading

> Source: https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/leading

Last updated: 2026-09-06
Category: Typesetting & layout
Also called: Line spacing · Line height

Leading is the baseline-to-baseline distance between lines of type, in points; body text is usually set at 120–145% of the type size, e.g. 11/14.

## Definition

**Leading** (rhymes with *heading*) is line spacing: the distance from the baseline of one line to the baseline of the next. The name comes from metal type, where compositors slid strips of lead between lines to open them up. It is written with the type size as a fraction — **11/14** means 11-point type on 14 points of leading.

For continuous reading, leading of roughly **120–145%** of the type size works: 10/13, 11/14, 12/15. Too tight and the lines crowd, the eye doubles back, and descenders touch ascenders; too loose and the paragraph falls apart into separate lines. Long lines need more leading than short ones, and faces with a large x-height need more than faces with a small one.

Leading also sets the book's page count. Moving a 300-page novel from 11/14 to 11/15 adds about 20 pages, which is one reason typesetters adjust it — within limits — to reach a page count that fits the binding.

## Related

- [Typesetting](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/typesetting)
- [Kerning](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/kerning)
- [Justification](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/justification)
- [Margins](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/margins)
- [Trim size](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/trim-size)
- [Turn a Word Document Into a Printed Book](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/tools/word-document-to-printed-book)
- [Turn a Google Doc Into a Printed Book](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/tools/google-docs-to-book)
- [Book Publishing Glossary — 59 Terms Defined](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary)
- [Bindery — the Claude-powered book studio](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/bindery)

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