Spacing sliders and the kerning pair editor in Font by Zaweba

Good letter shapes can still make a poor font if the spaces between them are wrong. Spacing is the gap every letter carries on its left and right, and kerning is the extra adjustment for particular pairs that don't fit well. Together they decide whether text reads as even and calm or lumpy and hard work.

In Font by Zaweba spacing and kerning are redone automatically after every change in the style stack. Make the font heavier, wider or slanted, and the gaps update with it. On top of that automatic fit, a set of sliders and a pair editor let you take control.

The spacing sliders

Rather than asking you to set the space for each of 109 characters, the sliders work by the kind of side a letter has. There are sliders for straight sides, round sides, diagonal sides and open sides. A straight side is the edge of a stem, as on H or n. A round side is a curve, as on O or the bowl of b. Diagonal sides belong to letters such as V and A. Open sides are the gaps on letters like c, r and L, where the shape doesn't fill its edge.

This matters because each kind needs different treatment to look evenly spaced. Round sides need less space than straight ones to look the same distance apart, because the curve already leaves room. Moving one slider adjusts every side of that kind across the alphabet at once.

Three more sliders round out the set. Extra room for capitals gives capitals a little more space, which helps them sit well in all capital headings. Overall letter spacing loosens or tightens everything together. Word space sets the width of the space character, which changes how far apart words sit.

Auto-kern

Some pairs look wrong however carefully sides are spaced. AV leaves a gap because the two diagonals lean away from each other. To leaves a hole under the arm of the T. LT and pairs involving P have the same kind of problem. Font auto-kerns common problem pairs like these, moving them closer so the gap looks like the rest of the text.

Auto-kerning runs again after each style change, so it keeps up with your design.

The pair editor

When you want a pair to sit differently, the pair editor is the tool. Type the pair, then drag it or enter a value to move the letters closer or further apart. Once it looks right, lock it. A locked pair keeps your value when you change other settings, rather than being recalculated. If you change your mind, set it back to auto and Font takes over again.

Locking is the important step. Without it, the next weight or width change would recalculate the pair and undo your work.

Working in a sensible order

Get the shapes settled before spending time on spacing. Every style change refits the spacing, so fine kerning work done early is likely to be redone. Once the stack is close to final, move to the spacing sliders and judge them on real text in the live preview. Words like "minimum" and "hamburgefonstiv" are traditional tests because they mix straight and round sides.

Only then turn to individual pairs. Look at capital headings, where kerning problems show most, and at combinations you know you'll use, such as the name of a business. Use the editor sparingly. A font with a few hundred hand locked pairs is hard to maintain; a font with sensible side spacing and a short list of locked pairs stays easy to adjust.

Where spacing goes wrong

Judging spacing at one size is the commonest. Tight spacing that looks smart at 200 can make small text clot together. Check the waterfall. Another is fixing a spacing problem with kerning. If every pair involving round letters looks loose, the round side slider is the fix, not a dozen pairs.

Spacing is the least glamorous part of making a typeface and one of the most important. Font by Zaweba does most of it for you, then leaves the final judgement where it belongs, with your eye.