What Is Lorem Ipsum?

Lorem ipsum is a placeholder text used in the graphic, print, and publishing industries to preview layouts and visual mockups. It is a dummy text that is not intended to be read, but rather to fill space on a page and give an idea of how the final design will look.

The passage usually begins with the phrase, “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.”

The purpose of Lorem Ipsum is to create a natural-looking block of text (sentence, paragraph, page, etc.) that does not distract from the layout. It is a practice that is not without controversy, as laying out pages with meaningless filler text can be useful when the focus is meant to be on design, not content.

Lorem ipsum experienced a surge in popularity during the 1960s when Letraset used it on their dry-transfer sheets, and again during the 90s as desktop publishers bundled the text with their software. Today, it is seen all around the web on templates, websites, and stock designs.

Where Does Lorem Ipsum Come From?

Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has a long history dating back to the 15th century.

Lorem ipsum is attributed to an unknown typesetter who is thought to have scrambled parts of Cicero’s “De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” for use in a type specimen book.

Richard McClintock, a Latin scholar, is credited with discovering the source behind Lorem Ipsum, which is very similar to sections 1.10.32–33 of Cicero’s work:

Sed ut perspiciatis, unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam eaque ipsa, quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt, explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem, quia voluptas sit, aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos, qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt, neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum, quia dolor sit amet consectetur adipisci[ng] velit, sed quia non numquam [do] eius modi tempora inci[di]dunt, ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit, qui in ea voluptate velit esse, quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum, qui dolorem eum fugiat, quo voluptas nulla pariatur?

Cicero’s “De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” – 45 BC

What Does Lorem Ipsum Mean?

While the filler text you can get today in Lorem Ipsum generators is meaningless, the original section of Cicero’s “De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” has been translated by H. Rackham from 1914:

But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing of a pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?

Why Use Lorem Ipsum Instead of Actual Content?

Think of it as a friendly teammate that helps you focus on the layout and design while keeping the actual content out of the way. Lorem Ipsum looks like English, but it doesn’t make sense, so it won’t distract you. Starting in the ’60s with Letraset’s dry-transfer sheets, Lorem Ipsum adapted and entered the digital world with Aldus PageMaker. Nowadays, it’s a popular model text for many web page editors and desktop publishing software. When should you use Lorem Ipsum? Here are a couple of situations:

• Focus on Design: Lorem Ipsum keeps attention on the layout and visual elements, allowing designers to perfect their work without being distracted by content.
• Readable Appearance: Lorem Ipsum features a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, giving it the appearance of readable English, unlike repetitive ‘Your Content Here’ placeholders.
• Flexible Formatting: With its versatile structure, Lorem Ipsum easily adapts to various design layouts, making it convenient for designers to experiment with styles and arrangements.

Just remember, it’s a useful tool, not an excuse to neglect quality content! (And make sure to tell your clients to update the content before going live!)

Are There Any Copyright or Legal Issues Associated with Using Lorem Ipsum?

Since Lorem Ipsum is over 2000 years old, Lorem Ipsum is in the public domain – meaning that there are no copyright or legal issues associated with its use. Its use is common and widely accepted in the industry, and it is unlikely to lead to any legal concerns.

So go ahead, generate some Lorem Ipsum – or use on of the popular options below.