Non-Designer’s Type Book, The, Second Edition

12. Underlines in Print

This is a law: never use the underline feature. An underline in print means one thing : italicize this word. I know you were taught to underline titles of books, but that’s because the typewriter (or your teacher) couldn’t set italics. And underlining italic text is one of the most redundant things you can do in life. I know you sometimes underlined to emphasize a headline or a word, but that’s because you didn’t know how to make the type bolder or bigger or a different face. Now you know. Now you have no excuse.

Drawing a rule (“rule” means line) under text is very different from hitting the underline keystroke. When you draw a rule you have control over how thick it is, how long it is, and how far below the type it ...