Between the lines.

Newspaper readers tend to be finicky about changes to their daily read, so the Los Angeles Times has been easing into a redesign since 2002. In the latest change, vertical lines were introduced to the news sections Nov. 16.

"We're doing it so slowly because it's a training issue," said Joseph Hutchinson, deputy managing editor, design and graphics at the Times. "It's to let readers get used to it, and for our own design and editing staff to get used to, as far as placing text and visual elements."

The vertical rules are intended to more clearly group related content and illustrate a hierarchy of importance. They were put into the "A" section first, and the California, Business and Sports sections will soon follow. The rules were introduced into the features sections as part of a much more noticeable overhaul in 2002, including new fonts for text and headlines and sub-section labels.

"This is one incremental step in the redesign process, but an important one," Hutchinson said. "They really help group content together. They're a subtle way to help readers navigate through the content."

The Times has still more design changes planned, but is keeping quiet about what they are and when they will be implemented, Hutchinson said.