Link: https://blog.codinghorror.com/text-columns-how-long-is-too-long/

I think everyone would agree that full justification is aesthetically superior. But that’s all it is. It is not more readable. Readability is actually better with a ragged right (left justified) because the variation of line ends facilitate tracking the line you are reading from one line to the next. So the popularity of full-justified typesetting seems unjustified. Why wouldn’t scientists prioritize readability above aesthetics?

Apparently some research has been done on this and the results are counter-intuitive. Unexpectedly, the linked article shows that the fastest reading happens with 2 columns which are fully justified. Unless the reader is a slow reader, then the results flip.

I’m not surprised 2 column is faster than 1, because with 1 wide column it’s easy for the eye to get lost. OTOH, there are fewer interruptions from line breaks. I still write paper letters (because fuck email and the surveillance it brings). I write 1-column letters when it’s monolinguel text, but wonder if I should switch to two column.