#lang pollen

◊(define-meta title "first-line indents")
◊hanging-topic[(topic-from-metas metas)]{Between one and four times the point size}

A ◊em{first-line indent} is the most common way to signal the start of a new paragraph. The other common way is with ◊xref{space between paragraphs}.

First-line indents and space between paragraphs have the same relationship as belts and suspenders. You only need one to get the job done. Using both is a mistake. If you use a first-line indent on a paragraph, don’t use space between. And vice versa.

◊(omission)

But use your judgment — consider the width of the text block when setting the first-line indent. For instance, narrow text blocks (3″ or less) should have first-line indents toward the low end of this range. Wider text blocks should have bigger indents.