15.1 NCRA Transcript Format Guidelines

15.1 NCRA Transcript Format Guidelines

Quick Summary: NCRA's Transcript Format Guidelines set minimum page standards so that each transcript page carries a fair amount of text: no fewer than 25 typed lines on 8-1/2 x 11 paper, no fewer than 9 or 10 characters to the typed inch, a left margin of no more than 1-3/4 inches, a right margin of no more than 3/8 inch, and limits on how far questions, answers, colloquy, quoted material, and parentheticals may be indented. Many states and courts set their own formats, and where they do, the local rule controls.

Why Format Standards Exist

Transcripts are usually priced by the page, so page layout directly affects what litigants pay. Wide margins, deep indentation, large type, or too few lines per page put less testimony on each page and inflate the page count, a practice called padding. Minimum format standards let attorneys, courts, and agencies compare page counts fairly, and they protect the reputation of the profession. Producing a properly formatted transcript is part of the job analysis task "Generate and deliver transcripts using current technology," because the format is set up in the reporter's CAT software templates.

Local rules take priority. Pennsylvania's rule on the format of transcripts (201 Pa. Code Rule 4010) follows the same margin and indentation limits, while other jurisdictions differ. For example, the San Diego Superior Court's transcript guidelines call for 28 lines per page and no fewer than 56 characters per typed line. Always confirm the format required where the transcript will be used.

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The Ten NCRA Transcript Format Guidelines

Notice that the numbers are limits: "no fewer than" 25 lines and 9 or 10 characters per inch, and "no more than" the stated margins and indentation. A page with more lines, or with less indentation, still meets the guidelines.

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Page and Character Density

Lines and Characters per Inch

• 25 lines is a minimum. More lines per page are acceptable; fewer put less text on each page.
• 9 or 10 characters per inch assumes fixed-pitch type, in which every character has the same width. A 12-point fixed-pitch font such as Courier prints 10 characters per inch. Proportional fonts do not have a fixed character count per inch, which is why transcript templates generally use fixed-pitch fonts.

What the Margins Allow

With both margins at their maximums, the width left for text is:

  8.500 inches   page width
- 1.750 inches   maximum left margin
- 0.375 inch     maximum right margin
= 6.375 inches   minimum text width

6.375 x 10 characters per inch = about 63 characters per full line
6.375 x  9 characters per inch = about 57 characters per full line

The guidelines do not set top and bottom margins or rules for headers and footers, so follow local rules and your CAT template for those.

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Indentation Rules in Practice

   1        Q.   Where were you employed in June 2025?
   2        A.   I was the lead chemist at Apex Laboratories, working the
   3   day shift in the cleanroom.
   4                  MR. GALLAGHER:  Objection.  Vague as to which
   5   facility.
   6                  THE COURT:  Overruled.
   7                  (Plaintiff's Exhibit 4 was marked for
   8                  identification.)
   9        Q.   Please read the first entry into the record.
  10        A.   "Sensor Unit 3 was inspected at 8:00 a.m. and
  11             found within tolerance."

(Illustration only; the space counts are measured from the left-hand margin, where carry-over Q and A text begins.)

• Questions and answers (lines 1–3, 9): The Q or A starts no more than 5 spaces in, the text starts no more than 5 spaces after the Q or A, and carry-over lines return to the left margin.
• Colloquy (lines 4–6): The speaker identification starts no more than 15 spaces in, and carry-over colloquy returns to the left margin.
• Parentheticals and exhibit markings (lines 7–8): Start no more than 15 spaces in, and carry-over lines stay within 15 spaces.
• Quoted material: A quotation set off from the testimony starts no more than 15 spaces in, with carry-over lines no more than 10 spaces in. When a witness reads a short passage within an answer, as on lines 10 and 11, many styles simply keep it in the answer with quotation marks.

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Common Padding Problems

Padding shortchanges the people paying for the transcript, and it conflicts with COPE Provision 9's duty to maintain the integrity of the reporting profession.

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Front Matter, Indexes, and Volumes

The guidelines address page density, not every page of a transcript. Common practices, which vary by court and agency, include:

• Title page: the court or agency, case caption and number, type of proceeding, date and location, and the reporter's name and credentials.
• Appearances: counsel and the parties they represent, plus others present such as interpreters and videographers.
• Index: witnesses with the pages where each examination begins, and exhibits with the pages where they were marked (and, at trial, offered and admitted). Many deposition transcripts place the index near the front; some courts specify its location.
• Volumes: For multi-day proceedings, some courts number pages continuously across volumes while others restart numbering in each volume. Follow the court's rule.