runover

In printing and page composition, a runover is text that extends beyond its intended column width or margin boundary, forcing the typesetter to either break it across lines within the space available or allow it to violate the margin altogether. The term describes a practical problem, not a deliberate formatting choice: when a line of type is too long for its container, something has to give.

Runovers occur most often in narrow columns, constrained advertising space, or when a long word cannot be hyphenated. In hot metal typesetting, a runover meant the compositor had to reset the line, adjust word spacing, or rearrange syllable breaks. In digital publishing and page layout software, runovers trigger automatic reflow, widow and orphan control routines, or manual intervention by the designer. A runover that breaks a word across a line becomes a hyphenated runover; one that violates the margin is called an overset or overflow depending on context.

Where runovers matter most

Runovers are especially costly in forms printing, labels, and multi-column newspapers and magazines. A runover in a business form may require a costly reprinting order or trigger a layout redesign. In justified text (common in formal printing), runovers force either excessive spacing adjustments or unjustified composition. In rag-right (ragged) setting, runovers are usually easier to manage but still require attention to readability and visual balance.

Modern design often prevents runovers by specifying minimum column widths, selecting typefaces with condensed variants, or reducing point size. However, the term persists in editorial workflow because runovers still happen: they signal where the designer's assumptions about copy length collide with the hard limits of the printed page. Detecting and fixing runovers remains a final quality check in pre-press production.