Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
spacing of a given font. Since ligatures are drawn with a fixed space between the characters (for
example, an “fi”), a designer can assume that the font's creator determined this fixed space as op-
timal for the ligated pair based on his or her appraisal of what optimal spacing for the entire font
should be. If the ligatures within running text appear more tightly—or more loosely—spaced than
the non-fixed characters around them, it means either the font either needs to be re-spaced accord-
ingly or the designer needs to replace the ligature with the two independent characters instead.
SO IT'S NOT A LETTER
.
The appearance of analphabetic symbols, such as the @, #, $, and %, and
some linear punctuation marks, such as the forward slash “/,” are improved by slight spatial ad-
justments. The @ usually appears too high on the line; a slight shift below the baseline causes the
character to center optically on the line of text. The # and % display a diagonal thrust akin to italic
forms, and decreasing the space preceding them—but increasing the space following them—helps
them participate in the overall rhythm of the letter spaces and word spaces. The “/” tends to benefit
from additional space on either side, although a full word space is far too much; +20 to +30 track-
ing is comfortable.
