Short Last Lines
A short last line is a paragraph ending whose occupied width is small enough to look weak, ambiguous, or visually detached.
SHORT_LINEDefinition
A very short final line can create an awkward hole in the paragraph and may be mistaken for a heading or stray word. Acceptability depends on measure, type size, paragraph shape, neighboring elements, and house style.
BAD vs GOOD
The final thought continues onto one last line: and.
The final thought closes with a balanced phrase.
Why it matters
Repeated weak endings reduce texture and can expose rushed composition, but a numerical threshold cannot replace visual judgment.
Rule strength
Configurable composition heuristic. This is not an absolute linguistic law; locale, genre, content, and house style can change the correct decision.
Exceptions and editorial considerations
- Dialogue, lists, narrow sidebars, captions, poetry, and intentional display composition can produce legitimate short endings.
How to fix it manually
- Try a small copy edit.
- Review hyphenation and justification settings.
- Adjust measure or permissible tracking carefully.
- Avoid inserting a forced break merely to satisfy a counter unless the break is editorially deliberate.
Adobe InDesign guidance
Use paragraph composition, hyphenation, and justification controls before resorting to local tracking or forced returns.
How Avellio detects it
For eligible body paragraphs, Avellio compares the final line’s composed visual-width ratio with the configured Short line minimum and confirms the candidate against relative word or character counts. It uses a guarded text-ratio fallback when geometry is unavailable, applies stricter handling to narrow or centered measures, and suppresses headings, captions, lists, quotations, tables, and undersized samples.
Manual review only; the threshold and supporting ratios are screening heuristics, not proof of a defect.
Language and locale differences
This principle has no separate Avellio locale override in the current registry; composition and house style can still affect judgment.
Authoritative references
- Avellio User Manual — Complete issue identifier referenceAvellio product source
- Adobe InDesign — Set text compositionAdobe documentation
- Adobe InDesign — Paragraph break options and Keep OptionsAdobe documentation
Avellio references document product behavior. External standards and authorities support the general or locale-specific typographic guidance. Where traditions disagree, this page states the disagreement instead of manufacturing one universal rule.