Aldus-Guide-to-Basic-Design

Kerning and Tracking

Adjust letter spacing with kerning and tracking options.

Technically, the term kerning is defined as the process of reducing the letter spacing between any two letters of type. Tracking is defined as the process of altering the letter spacing between more than two letters of type. The appearance and legibility of headlines and body copy can be improved by increasing or decreasing letter spacing. Yard Tools Without kerning, unnaturally large spaces often occur between certain letter pairs, such as an uppercase T or Y next to a lowercase a, i or o. Yard Tools Kerning brings these letters together, creating a more unified appearance. Bo l d l i nes ma r k sp r i ng f ash i ons Bold lines mark spring fashions Bold linesmarkspringfashions Tracking adjustments can work to enhance legibility and free up space; alternatively, tracking adjustments can adversely affect legibility. In a creative sense, tracking can be used to expand a headline without increasing its height. This reduces the emphasis of the headline by making it appear lighter in weight.

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THE ALDUS GUIDE TO BASIC DESIGN