As each line in an EpiDoc encoded inscription begins with an <lb/>, attributes on this tag can be understood to refer to the content of that line, i.e. all text before the following <lb/>. (See also lines.)
In the case of most inscriptions, left-to-right aligned text does not need to be flagged, as it is the default direction. One might need to use a rend attribute as in example 2, above, in the case of boustrophedon text, for instance.
Other values of the rend attribute can be created in the case of texts written vertically, in a circle or spiral, or otherwise unusually.