Having a 1/6 margin on the left make the page less tiring on the eyes. Text in tables is more readable with a cellpadding of 3 or 4 or more, but many table layouts require a zero padding. The amount of margin to use is an aesthetic decision made after weighing the tradeoffs between efficient use of client screen area and readability. The page margin (the gap between the webpage and the browser client area) may be set to zero for a more integrated appearance, and should be zero where frames are used. The page margin is best at zero with the left justified layout, and is optional with a center justified layout.

-- Anonymous, February 02, 2001