Print-Ready Layout for Court-Facing Documents

Field	Value
Type	Skill Resource
Source	`~/.copilot/skills/legal/references/print-layout.md`
Description	Not specified

Source Content

Print-Ready Layout for Court-Facing Documents

Use this reference when turning a drafted legal text into a polished, print-ready PDF or court-facing HTML/JSX. The goal: the page reads like careful counsel work — restrained typography, deliberate hierarchy, no marketing flourish.

When to use this reference

Use it when:

Turning an existing draft into a polished, print-ready PDF.
Designing pleading captions, signature blocks, or certificate-of-service pages.
Building JSX/Astro/React or Markdown sources headed to print or PDF export.
Auditing an existing legal document for visual issues (wrong hierarchy, decorative noise, ornament that undermines credibility).

Do not use it when:

Writing the legal text itself (→ references/drafting.md).
Picking a starter template (→ references/templates-and-families.md).
Doing marketing or brand design.

The seven-step workflow

1. Identify the document role

Each document type has a fixed visual hierarchy:

Caption-led pleading (motion, complaint, answer): Caption block (parties, case number, court) → document title → body → signature block → certificate of service.
Demand letter on letterhead: Letterhead → date → recipient address → salutation → body → closing → signature.
Declaration or affidavit: Caption (if part of a case) → “Declaration Under Penalty of Perjury” → body → signature → notary block (if applicable).
Certificate of service: Standalone page, single column, tight spacing, signature area, notarized date.
Proposed order or consent order: Caption → “ORDER” → findings (if any) → operative order (“It is ordered that…”) → signature line (for judge or parties).

2. Detect the source path

Where does the content live, and what export path should you reuse?

JSX print pattern (e.g., a React component with print styles)
Astro page with print route
Markdown source headed to Pandoc → PDF
Word export (keep the existing structure where possible)
Plain text or Google Doc

Reuse whatever exists. Do not invent a new export path if the workspace already has one.

3. Set the type system

One serif font for titles and case info. Examples: Iowan Old Style, Palatino, Georgia. These fonts are installed on most systems and print cleanly.

One sans-serif for body and metadata. Examples: Avenir Next, Segoe UI, system-ui. Sans is easier to read on screen and in long blocks of body text.

Never use three fonts. Never use novelty fonts. A designer who reads hundreds of court documents notices restraint before elegance. Novelty fonts undermine credibility.

4. Set spacing rhythm

Body line-height: 1.6–1.75. Pleadings are dense with small text; readers need breathing room.

Headings tight to their kicker, looser above the next block. A section heading hugs its following paragraph, but gets loose space before it (so it doesn’t look like it belongs to the section above).

Consistent section spacing throughout. If you put 24px before each major section, use 24px everywhere. Rhythm is trust.

Margins: Letter-size friendly, typically 1” all around (72px). Wider margins for readability, narrower only if court rules require it.

5. Apply court-facing hierarchy

The reader must identify the document type, parties, and relief in under a second.

Caption block (if the document is part of a case):

Court name (smallest)
Case name (larger, bold)
Case number (small)
Document title (largest, centered or left-aligned per jurisdiction)

Body text runs at a comfortable size (typically 12px serif or 11px sans on screen, 10–12pt in print).

Section headings slightly larger and bolder than body.

Signature blocks clearly marked: name, title, date.

Certificate of Service on its own page or section, with clear signature lines.

6. Strip ornament

Rules (horizontal lines) only where they carry structure. Use a rule above a signature block to separate it from the body. Do not use rules as decoration.

Boxes only when boxing real layout work. A box around a warning or required finding is functional. A box around every section is clutter.

No color beyond black and grayscale, unless the court rules or the document type requires it. Judges don’t decide cases based on eye candy.

No drop caps, no fancy ornaments, no watermarks. The words carry the credibility, not the decoration.

7. Confirm the export path

Before you finish:

Letter-size margins? Confirm. If A4, adjust.
Embedded fonts? Court PDFs should embed fonts so they render correctly on any system.
Multi-page handling? If the document is more than one page, confirm page breaks are intentional. The script check_print_layout.py will warn if page breaks are missing.
Print preview. Does it look filed, not like a flyer? Imagine a judge printing it out.

Typography for lawyers

Matthew Butterick — Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers: “Typography is the visual component of the written word.” The legible brief wins attention by default.

Massimo Vignelli — The Vignelli Canon: “A small, disciplined vocabulary of type, grid, and color.” Restraint is strength.

Erik Spiekermann — “Details are not the details. They make the design.” Hierarchy, rhythm, and spacing carry meaning before the words do.

Jan Tschichold — The New Typography: “Perfect typography is certainly the most elusive of all arts.” The page is a system; asymmetry, grid, and restraint serve the reader.

Bryan Garner — Legal Writing in Plain English: “Clarity is a professional duty, on the page as much as in the prose.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg — Precision under scrutiny. Every line of a filed document should survive a hostile re-read.

Common layouts

See the recipes/ directory for working implementations:

jsx-court-layouts.md — React/JSX patterns for court pleadings with CSS Grid, typography tokens, and print styles.
certificate-of-service-layout.md — COS page template with signature blocks and spacing rhythm.

When you’re unsure, ask

“Is this getting filed in a specific court? Some require pleading paper or numbered line margins.”
“Letter-size or A4?”
“Does the workspace already have a print or PDF export path I should reuse?”
“Is the goal a polished PDF, or is this getting printed and physically filed?”

Validation

Every print layout must pass:

scripts/check_print_layout.py <source> exits 0 — no color-only distinctions without text/icon cues, page breaks present for multi-page docs.
Hierarchy is instant. Parties, case number, document type, and relief are findable at a glance.
Spacing is consistent throughout.
No decorative ornament (rules and boxes earn their place).
Looks filed, not like marketing copy. A judge would not mistake this for a flyer.
Export path confirmed and working.