Rag

The uneven edge of unjustified text. A good rag is shaped by hand so the line endings feel accidental, never jagged.

Unjustified text trades even edges for even spacing, and the ragged edge it leaves is a surface of its own. A good rag alternates long and short lines in an easy rhythm; a bad one steps down like stairs or cuts a shape the eye keeps snagging on.

Setting a rag means reading the edge, not the words: break a line early here, rescue a stranded word there, until the silhouette calms. Justified type hides these sins by spreading them invisibly through the spacing. The rag is honest, which is why it needs tending.