For years I have argued that only one space is needed after a period. Period. Yet, some people still hang on to that old two-space habit. Double-hitting the space bar seems for them the right thing to do. It is comfortable. That double-bang reassures them that all is in order in life. I would hate to undermine one’s sense of self by pointing out that the days of the double-space have long gone – gone with the manual typewriter.

Back then, in the days when IBM still ruled in the manual/electric typing age, The double-space served a mechanical function. A typewriter had one font. A double space was needed to visually aid where one sentence ended and another began, I suppose. I can’t think of any other logical reason. It was just the way things were done.

So, now we can save hours of time by single-hitting the space bar. Imagine how much paper in the world could be saved just be reducing the space between sentences. It is potentially enormous – an untapped reservoir of green energy. We can save the planet by just reducing one space at at time between sentences. Go Green. Go Single -Space!

Want to read more about single spacing. Try here at Slate Magazine.