How to Space Calligraphy Letters

One of the trickiest parts of giving your calligraphy a professional look is getting the spacing correct. Whether it's between each letter, between words or even between lines, there are ways to avoid cramped or rambling calligraphy.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Calligraphy pens
• Index cards
• Smooth paper
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Light box

1. 
   Keeping the letters in proportion to the pen size is key.

   Pick the right nib size for the space. If you have a lot of space to fill with only a few words (for example, a name on a certificate) choose a nib large enough to fill the space while keeping the letters in proportion. On the other hand, if you have a lot of words to write in a small space (like a wedding invitation), choose a smaller pen.

2. 
   The red 'o' represents just the right amount of space between words.

   Leave only a millimeter or two between each letter. Between each word leave a space that is the width of that alphabet's 'o.'

3. 
   Space for everything, and everything in its space.

   Mark out your nib widths when starting from scratch; index cards are good for this. For the average alphabet that uses both upper and lower case letters, you'll want eight nib widths per line. Starting with you base line make eight marks, one above the other, on the edge of your paper. At the fifth square up draw a dashed line--this is where your lower case letters will stop--and after the seventh draw another unbroken line to represent the top edge of your capitals. The eighth mark is the upper limit for ascenders.

4. Allow space between each line for ascenders and descenders. The top three nib widths (the two for capitals and the topmost one) provide space for any ascenders. Descenders should have three nib widths available below your base line.

5. When centering words, sketch them out on a spare piece of paper, find the center letter of each line, and estimate how far to right you have to start that line from the center of the space.

6. 
   You can fit twice as much calligraphy in the same space by using a 2mm pen instead of a 3.5mm pen.

   Rule your pages using a straight edge and a light pencil. If you use waterproof, smudge-proof ink you will be able to erase the guidelines without marring your hard work: just be sure to let it completely dry first.

7. 
   The penciled rule lines show through the working paper when placed over a lightbox.

   Use a light box. If you would prefer not to rule your page or it would be impractical to do so, a light box can help if you have a ruled sheet underneath.

Tips & Warnings

• When centering, don't necessarily start with the middle character and work outward. Doing this will give an unnatural look to your letters and you want them to flow one to the next, even if they do not actually connect. Being perfectly centered is less important than calligraphy that flows.

[scrapsoflife]

on 10/26/2007 I do a lot of pre-writing in light pencil myself, especially if I have a set space to work in.

[robertsloan2]

on 10/3/2007 Thank you for a great article on spacing calligraphy letters. I had a lot of problems with this at first before I became a typesetter, and you've described some things I found out the hard way! What I do now is also lightly pencil the letters in before inking them, or do the centered word or line on a piece of scrap and center it for tick marks before creating the final version. The test version doesn't need to be as pretty, but it's good for centering words to have a rough draft that can slide around on a scrap and be measured for centering.