Inhale the future, exhale the past
Dummy text is also used to demonstrate the appearance of different typefaces and layouts, and in general the content of dummy text is nonsensical. Due to its widespread use as filler text for layouts, non-readability is of great importance: human perception is tuned to recognize certain patterns and repetitions in texts. If the distribution of letters and ‘words’ is random, the reader will not be distracted from making a neutral judgement on the visual impact and readability of the typography, or the distribution of text on the page.
For this reason, dummy text usually consists of a more or less random series of words or syllables. This prevents repetitive patterns from impairing the overall visual impression and facilitates the comparison of different typefaces. Furthermore, it is advantageous when the dummy text is relatively realistic so that the layout impression of the final publication is not compromised. One disadvantage of Lorum Ipsum is that in Latin certain letters appear more frequently than others – which creates a distinct visual impression.
Moreover, in Latin only words at the beginning of sentences are capitalized; this means that Lorem Ipsum cannot accurately represent, for example, German, in which all nouns are capitalized. Thus, Lorem Ipsum has only limited suitability as a visual filler for German texts. If the fill text is intended to illustrate the characteristics of different typefaces, it sometimes makes sense to select texts containing the various letters and symbols specific to the output language.
The spread of computers and layout programmes thus made dummy text better known. While in earlier times several lines of the Lorem Ipsum text were repeated in the creation of dummy texts, today the full text of Cicero’s ‘De finibus’ serves as the basis for many dummy text or Lorem Ipsum generators. Based on ‘De finibus’, these generators automatically create longer sections of the Lorem Ipsum text or various other filler texts.
Certain internet providers exploit the fact that fill text cannot be recognized by automatic search engines – meaningful information cannot be distinguished from meaningless: Target-generated dummy text mixed with a certain combination of search terms can lead to an increased frequency of visits by search machine users. As a consequence, advertising revenues, which rely on website ‘hits’, are increased.
Dummy text is text that is used in the publishing industry or by web designers to occupy the space which will later be filled with ‘real’ content. This is required when, for example, the final text is not yet available. Dummy text is also known as ‘fill text’. It is said that song composers of the past used dummy texts as lyrics when writing melodies in order to have a ‘ready-made’ text to sing with the melody. Dummy texts have been in use by typesetters since the 16th century.
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omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat. On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment.