\ragged commandsLaTeX provides commands \raggedright and \raggedleft, but
none to cancel their effect. The \centering command is
implemented in the same way as the \ragged* commands, and suffers
in the same way.
The following code (to be inserted in a package of your own, or as internal LaTeX code) defines a command that restores flush justification at both margins:
\def\flushboth{%
\let\\\@normalcr
\@rightskip\z@skip \rightskip\@rightskip
\leftskip\z@skip
\parindent 1.5em\relax}
There's a problem with the setting of \parindent in the code: it's
necessary because both the \ragged commands set \parindent to
zero, but the setting isn't a constant of nature: documents using a
standard LaTeX class with twocolumn option will have 1.0em by
default, and there's no knowing what you (or some other class) will
have done.
If you are using Martin Schröder's ragged2e package, it is
worth updating to the latest release (January 2003), which has a
\justifying command to match its
versions of the LaTeX 'ragged' commands. The
package also provides a
justify environment, which permits areas of justified
text in a larger area which is ragged.
This question on the Web: http://www.tex.ac.uk/cgi-bin/texfaq2html?label=flushboth