Kerning Rules
Kerning refers to the process of creating uniform, aesthetically pleasing space between two letters. When you're working with a certain typeface, you may notice that some pairs of letters are placed too close together, while some are placed too far apart. Font sets are created with rules that automatically determine the spaces between certain letters, but frequently, you must selectively adjust the space between the letters while keeping the rest of the spacing the same. Since kerning is both a science and an art, typesetters use a trained eye and follow key principles for kerning text.
Other People Are Reading
-
Problematic Letter Combinations
-
Letter combinations that typically create irregular gaps are Ye, Yo, Te, LY and YA. This is due to the relationship of the letters to each other. Kerning may be needed between typeset numerals, such as the number 11, or between letters with vertical strokes, such as H and N. If too much white space appears between characters, the space creates a river that distracts and confuses the reader. A capital T followed by a lowercase letter will almost always require kerning to tighten up the space. By kerning these letter combinations, you improve text legibility.
Round Letters
-
The goal of kerning text is to create even color and balance so that when you squint at the letters, you see the same white space or negative space between each pair. Round letters placed next to each other tend to look further apart than they really are. The space between two round letters should be less than the space between a straight character and a round one. Round letters also present opportunities for creative kerning. Circular letters -- Os for example -- can be tightly kerned to overlap each other for an artistic effect.
-
Don't Go Overboard
-
When you're sitting in front of a computer monitor staring at text, it's easy to go overboard and kern too much. When in doubt, kern the text less than you think it needs. Make sure you kern consistently between letter combinations. If you kern one set of letters to reduce negative space, do the same to all of the same character combinations.
Software Options
-
Most software for desktop publishing, word processing or page production has settings for kerning. Some programs don't use kerning by default; you must activate the feature in the software's preferences. Optical kerning is built into the typeface and works with the shape of the letters to automatically place white space between the characters. Manual kerning is often still needed for best results. Place the cursor or text tool between two characters and use the software's preferred keyboard shortcuts to adjust the space.
-
