You’ve been asking, and now, after hundreds of thousands of code changes, we’re delivering. Your documents are about to get a lot prettier.

We’re extremely happy to finally announce this:

Introducing multi-column layouts and more in Writer. Woot woot!

What is multi-column and why is it important?

Newspapers, magazines, and even websites like Twitter have been using multi-column layouts for years now. Using fewer words on a line supports scalability. Content presented in multiple columns is easier to read and easier on the eyes.

Research into column width found that when columns were wider than a certain width, people either didn’t keep reading or didn’t take in what they had read.

From an aesthetics point of view, multi-column layouts just look neat and pretty. They let you say a lot more in minimal space.

Grab their attention.

Beyond a multi-column layout, how else can you engage readers? Pull quotes are our answer to this question. Simply select blocks of text and convert them into gorgeous visual elements.

Take a look at some of our designs:

Drop caps are here.

Drop caps are decorative capital letter elements that you can use at the start of a paragraph or section. Our designers have put together a collection of over 15 attractive designs you can use. Take a look:

Multi-column layouts, pull quotes, and drop caps can turn plain documents into beautiful, engaging pieces of content. While we’re excited to present it to you, we’re even more excited to know how you’ll use it in Writer. Let us know in the comments section below!

Happy writing!