How to use a variable font in a page layout

Select some text in Layout by Zaweba, open Window > Variable font, and you get the font's named styles plus a slider for each axis it has, such as weight, width, slant and optical size. Pick a named style or set the sliders where you want them, and Layout makes a static instance of the font at those exact values and uses it on screen, in exported pictures and in PDFs, which embed that instance.

A variable font is a single font file that holds a whole range of designs rather than a handful of fixed weights. Instead of choosing between Regular and Bold, you can pick any point along the way, and on some fonts you can also change the width, the slant or the optical size. It is one of the most useful things to happen to type in years, and it suits layout work especially well.

What the axes do

Weight is the familiar one: from thin strokes to heavy ones. Width narrows or widens the letters, which is a lifesaver when a headline is two characters too long for its column and you would rather not shrink the size. Slant leans the letters for an italic feel. Optical size adjusts the design to suit the size it is printed at, with sturdier details for small text and finer ones for large display type.

Not every variable font has every axis. The Variable font window only shows the sliders the font actually offers, so if you don't see a width slider, the font simply doesn't have one.

Setting the sliders

Choose a variable font for your text as you would any other font. Open Window > Variable font. At the top are the named styles the type designer included, which are good starting points because they have been chosen with care. Pick one, then adjust the sliders if you need something in between.

Watch the text on the page while you drag. Small movements matter: a few units more weight on a heading can make it sit better next to a strong photograph, and a slightly narrower width can save a line break. When you find a setting you like for a role, build it into a paragraph or character style so every heading of that kind gets the same values. Styles are where these choices should live, rather than in one-off formatting on individual words.

What happens when you export

Layout turns your chosen values into a static instance of the font, which is an ordinary fixed design at exactly those settings. That instance is what you see on screen, what goes into PNG, JPEG or TIFF exports, and what gets embedded when you make a PDF. The benefit is predictability. A printer's workflow or another PDF reader doesn't need to understand variable fonts at all, because the file carries a plain font at the values you chose.

There is one limit worth knowing. Variable fonts built in the CFF2 format use their default style in Layout rather than your slider values. If a font of that kind doesn't respond to the sliders as you expect, that is why.

Using them well

Keep the number of distinct settings down. It is tempting to give every element its own weight because you can, but a page reads more calmly with a small set of steps used consistently. Two or three weights and perhaps one narrower width cover most magazines and brochures.

Use optical size where the font has it. Captions and footnotes benefit from the sturdier small-size design, and big headlines look more refined with the display design. If the font offers the axis, it is worth setting it by role in your styles.

Finally, check the licence. Variable fonts are licensed like any other font, and if you package a job for the printer, Layout collects fonts where the licence allows. A quick look at the font's terms before a big job saves an awkward conversation later.