295 lines
9.9 KiB
Markdown
295 lines
9.9 KiB
Markdown
# Professional Document Design & Typography Guide
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## Table of Contents
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1. [Font Pairing](#font-pairing)
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2. [Font Sizes by Document Type](#font-sizes-by-document-type)
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3. [Line Spacing](#line-spacing)
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4. [Paragraph Spacing](#paragraph-spacing)
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5. [Page Layout](#page-layout)
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6. [Table Design](#table-design)
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7. [Color Schemes](#color-schemes)
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8. [Visual Hierarchy](#visual-hierarchy)
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9. [Quick Reference Defaults](#quick-reference-defaults)
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---
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## Font Pairing
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### Recommended Pairs
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| Headings | Body | Style | Best For |
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|----------|------|-------|----------|
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| Calibri Light | Calibri | Modern sans | Corporate reports |
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| Aptos | Aptos | Office 365 default | Modern business docs |
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| Cambria | Calibri | Serif + sans | Academic-corporate hybrid |
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| Times New Roman | Times New Roman | Traditional serif | Academic, legal |
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| Arial | Arial | Clean sans | Memos, internal docs |
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| Georgia | Garamond | Classical serif pair | Formal reports |
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### Rules
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- **Limit**: 2 font families max (3 if CJK mixed)
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- **Contrast**: Pair serif with sans-serif, OR use weight contrast within one family
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- **Consistency**: Same font for all body text, same font for all headings
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---
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## Font Sizes by Document Type
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| Document Type | Body | H1 | H2 | H3 | Footnotes |
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|--------------|------|----|----|----|----|
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| **Business report** | 11pt | 18-20pt | 14-16pt | 12-13pt bold | 9pt |
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| **Business letter** | 11-12pt | — | — | — | 9-10pt |
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| **Memo** | 11pt | 14pt bold | 12pt bold | 11pt bold | 9pt |
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| **Contract / Legal** | 12pt | 14pt bold caps | 12pt bold | 12pt bold | 10pt |
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| **Academic (APA 7)** | 12pt | 12pt bold center | 12pt bold left | 12pt bold italic | 10pt |
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| **Resume / CV** | 10-11pt | 14-16pt | 12pt bold | 11pt bold | 8-9pt |
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| **Chinese 公文** | 三号(16pt) | 二号(22pt) | 三号(16pt) | 四号(14pt) | 小四(12pt) |
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### OpenXML `w:sz` Values (half-points)
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| Point Size | `w:sz` Val | Common Use |
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|-----------|-----------|------------|
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| 9pt | 18 | Footnotes, captions |
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| 10pt | 20 | Compact body text |
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| 10.5pt (五号) | 21 | CJK body small |
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| 11pt | 22 | Standard body (Calibri) |
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| 12pt (小四) | 24 | Standard body (TNR), CJK |
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| 14pt (四号) | 28 | CJK body, subheading |
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| 16pt (三号) | 32 | CJK heading, western H2 |
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| 18pt (小二) | 36 | Western H1 |
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| 22pt (二号) | 44 | CJK document title |
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| 26pt (一号) | 52 | Large title |
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---
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## Line Spacing
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| Spacing | OpenXML `w:spacing line` | When to Use |
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|---------|--------------------------|-------------|
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| Single (1.0) | `line="240"` lineRule="auto" | Tables, footnotes, captions |
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| 1.08 (MS default) | `line="259"` lineRule="auto" | Modern Office documents |
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| 1.15 | `line="276"` lineRule="auto" | Business reports — best general default |
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| 1.5 | `line="360"` lineRule="auto" | Some academic, drafts for markup |
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| Double (2.0) | `line="480"` lineRule="auto" | APA/MLA manuscripts, legal briefs |
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| Fixed 28pt | `line="560"` lineRule="exact" | Chinese 公文 (GB/T 9704) |
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**`lineRule` values**: `auto` = proportional (240 = 1 line), `exact` = fixed height, `atLeast` = minimum.
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---
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## Paragraph Spacing
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| Element | Space Before (DXA) | Space After (DXA) |
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|---------|-------------------|-------------------|
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| Body paragraph | 0 | 120-160 (6-8pt) |
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| Heading 1 | 480 (24pt) | 120-240 |
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| Heading 2 | 360 (18pt) | 120 |
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| Heading 3 | 240 (12pt) | 80-120 |
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| List items | 0 | 40-80 (2-4pt) |
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| Block quote | 120-240 | 120-240 |
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| Table/Figure caption | 240 | 240 |
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**Principle**: Space before a heading > space after, so heading visually "belongs to" content below (2:1 or 3:1 ratio).
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---
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## Page Layout
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### Margins by Document Type
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| Document Type | Top | Bottom | Left | Right | DXA Values |
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|--------------|-----|--------|------|-------|------------|
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| **Standard business** | 1 in | 1 in | 1 in | 1 in | 1440 all |
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| **Academic (APA/MLA)** | 1 in | 1 in | 1 in | 1 in | 1440 all |
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| **Thesis (binding)** | 1 in | 1 in | 1.5 in | 1 in | T/B:1440 L:2160 R:1440 |
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| **Chinese 公文** | 37mm | 35mm | 28mm | 26mm | T:2098 B:1984 L:1588 R:1474 |
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| **Narrow modern** | 0.75 in | 0.75 in | 0.75 in | 0.75 in | 1080 all |
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| **Wide** | 1 in | 1 in | 2 in | 2 in | T/B:1440 L/R:2880 |
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### Page Sizes
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| Size | Width × Height | DXA Width × Height |
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|------|---------------|-------------------|
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| US Letter | 8.5 × 11 in | 12240 × 15840 |
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| A4 | 210 × 297 mm | 11906 × 16838 |
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| Legal | 8.5 × 14 in | 12240 × 20160 |
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| A3 | 297 × 420 mm | 16838 × 23811 |
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**Rule**: A4 for international audiences, Letter for US-only.
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### Page Numbers
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| Convention | Placement | Common In |
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|-----------|-----------|-----------|
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| Bottom center | Footer, centered | Academic, government |
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| Bottom right | Footer, right-aligned | Business reports |
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| "Page X of Y" | Footer, right-aligned | Contracts, legal |
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| Bottom outside | Alternating L/R for odd/even | Books, bound reports |
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| Chinese 公文 | Bottom center, format "-X-" | Government documents |
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---
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## Table Design
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### Style Patterns
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| Style | Description | When to Use |
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|-------|------------|-------------|
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| **Three-line (三线表)** | Top rule + header-bottom rule + bottom rule only, no vertical lines | Academic, scientific — gold standard |
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| **Banded rows** | Alternating white/light-gray, no borders | Modern corporate |
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| **Light grid** | Thin 0.5pt gray borders all cells | Business reports |
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| **Header-accent** | Dark/colored header row, no other borders | Modern templates |
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| **Full border** | All cells bordered | Financial tables, forms |
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### Border Weights (OpenXML `w:sz` in eighths of a point)
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| Visual | `Size` value | Points |
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|--------|-------------|--------|
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| Hairline | 2 | 0.25pt |
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| Thin | 4 | 0.5pt |
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| Medium | 8 | 1pt |
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| Thick | 12 | 1.5pt |
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### Cell Padding
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- **Minimum**: 0.05 in (28 DXA) — too tight for most uses
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- **Recommended**: 0.08-0.1 in (57-72 DXA) top/bottom, 0.1-0.15 in (72-108 DXA) left/right
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- **Spacious**: 0.12 in (86 DXA) top/bottom, 0.19 in (137 DXA) left/right
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### Header Row Best Practices
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- Bold text, optionally SMALL CAPS
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- Background: light gray (#F2F2F2) or dark with white text (#2F5496 + white)
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- Repeat header row on each page (`w:tblHeader` on `w:trPr`)
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- Right-align number columns, left-align text columns
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---
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## Color Schemes
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### Corporate / Business
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| Element | Hex | Notes |
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|---------|-----|-------|
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| Primary heading | #1F3864 | Dark navy, authoritative |
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| Secondary heading | #2E75B6 | Medium blue |
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| Body text | #333333 | Near-black (softer than #000) |
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| Table header bg | #4472C4 | With white #FFFFFF text |
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| Alternate row | #F2F2F2 | Subtle gray banding |
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| Hyperlink | #0563C1 | Standard blue |
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### Academic
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All text **#000000** (black). Color only in figures/charts.
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### Chinese Government (公文)
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| Element | Color |
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|---------|-------|
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| All body text | Black (required) |
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| 红头 agency name | Red #FF0000 |
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| 红线 separator | Red #FF0000 |
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| 公章 seal | Red |
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### Accessibility
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- Minimum contrast ratio 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text (WCAG AA)
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- Never use color as sole means of conveying information
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- Ensure distinguishable in grayscale for printed documents
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---
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## Visual Hierarchy
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### Heading Levels by Document Length
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| Pages | Recommended Levels |
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|-------|-------------------|
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| 1-5 (memo, letter) | 1-2 levels |
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| 5-20 (report) | 2-3 levels |
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| 20-100 (long report) | 3-4 levels |
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| 100+ (thesis) | 4-5 levels max |
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### Numbering Systems
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**Decimal (ISO 2145)** — technical, international:
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```
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1 → 1.1 → 1.1.1 → 1.1.1.1
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```
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**Traditional outline (US legal):**
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```
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I. → A. → 1. → a. → (1) → (a)
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```
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**Chinese government (公文):**
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```
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一、(黑体) → （一）(楷体) → 1.(仿宋加粗) → (1)(仿宋)
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```
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### Typography Emphasis
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| Format | Use For | Avoid |
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|--------|---------|-------|
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| **Bold** | Key terms, headings, emphasis | Entire paragraphs |
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| *Italic* | Titles, foreign words, mild emphasis | Long passages (hard to read) |
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| Underline | Hyperlinks only (digital) | General emphasis (archaic) |
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| SMALL CAPS | Legal defined terms, acronyms | Body text |
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| ALL CAPS | Very short headings | Long text (reduces readability 15%) |
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**CJK note**: Chinese/Japanese have no true italic. Use bold for emphasis.
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### List Formatting
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**Bullets** (unordered): `•` → `○` → `■` by level
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**Numbers** (ordered): `1.` → `a.` → `i.` by level
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- Indent each level 0.25-0.5 in (360-720 DXA)
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- Hanging indent: number hangs, text aligns consistently
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- Spacing between items: 2-4pt (less than paragraph spacing)
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---
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## Quick Reference Defaults
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### Business Report (Safe Default)
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| Parameter | Value | OpenXML |
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| Body font | Calibri 11pt | sz="22", RunFonts Ascii="Calibri" |
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| H1 | 18pt Bold Dark Blue | sz="36", Bold, Color="#1F3864" |
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| H2 | 14pt Bold Dark Blue | sz="28", Bold |
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| H3 | 12pt Bold Dark Blue | sz="24", Bold |
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| Line spacing | 1.15 | line="276" lineRule="auto" |
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| Para after | 8pt | after="160" |
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| Margins | 1 in all | 1440 DXA all |
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| Page size | Letter or A4 | 12240×15840 or 11906×16838 |
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| Page numbers | Bottom right, 10pt | |
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### Academic Paper (APA 7th)
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| Parameter | Value | OpenXML |
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|-----------|-------|---------|
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| Font | Times New Roman 12pt | sz="24" |
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| Line spacing | Double | line="480" lineRule="auto" |
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| First-line indent | 0.5 in | ind firstLine="720" |
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| Margins | 1 in all | 1440 DXA all |
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| Page numbers | Top right | Header, right-aligned |
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### Chinese Government (公文 GB/T 9704)
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| Parameter | Value | OpenXML |
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|-----------|-------|---------|
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| Body font | 仿宋_GB2312 三号 | sz="32", EastAsia="FangSong_GB2312" |
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| Title | 小标宋 二号 centered | sz="44" |
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| L1 heading | 黑体 三号 | sz="32", EastAsia="SimHei" |
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| L2 heading | 楷体 三号 | sz="32", EastAsia="KaiTi_GB2312" |
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| Line spacing | Fixed 28pt | line="560" lineRule="exact" |
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| Margins | T:37mm B:35mm L:28mm R:26mm | T:2098 B:1984 L:1588 R:1474 |
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| Page size | A4 | 11906×16838 |
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| Page numbers | Bottom center, 宋体 四号, "-X-" | sz="28" |
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| Chars/line | 28 | |
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| Lines/page | 22 | |
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