InDesign for QuarkXPress Users [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Kerning and Tracking

Kerning and tracking remove or add space between character pairs.

Kerning adjusts spacing between two characters.

Tracking changes the spacing for all character pairs in a range of text (sometimes it's referred to as

range kerning , as in Adobe PageMaker). Kerning and tracking are measured in units relative to the size of the typefacein

ems . Note that by default XPress defines an em as the width of two zeros next to each other in a given font and size. InDesign uses a more standard value: An em equals the point size, so in 24-point text, one em is 24 points wide.

QuarkXPress lets you manually kern character pairs or use the automatic kern values ("metrics") built into the font. It also lets you set up kerning tables with the Kerning Table Edit feature. InDesign supports both manual kerning and metrics kerning. It also introduces a new method called Optical kerning. Metrics and Optical kerning can be part of a paragraph or character style; manual kerning cannot. InDesign has no kerning table function; if you want to build kerning tables, you'll have to edit the font using a font utility such as FontLab or Fontographer.

Metrics Kerning

Normally, if you select a range of text you'll see the word "Metrics" on the Kerning popup menu in the Character palette. If you click an insertion point between two characters, the Kerning menu shows the value of the font kern pair in thousandths of an em: It will show a number like "0" (no kerning) or "(70)" (which means that the current font has a kern pair that reduces the space by 70/1,000 of an em). To apply Metrics kerning (removing any manual kerning), select a range of characters with the Type tool or one or more unlinked text frames with the Selection tool, then choose Metrics in the Kerning menu.

Manual Kerning

If you want to manually kern in InDesign, place the text insertion point between two characters. Then, in the Kerning field of the Character palette, either choose from the preset kerning values in the popup menu, type your own value, or use the up/down arrows to change the units of kerning (add Shift to increase/decrease in larger increments). You can also use keystrokes: Hold down the Option/Alt key, and press the Left or Right Arrow keys to decrease or increase the spaceby default in 20/1,000 of an em, though you can change this in the Units & Increments Preferences. Adding the Command/Ctrl key to the keyboard shortcut multiplies the value by five. Manual kerning overrides Metrics and Optical kerning.

Optical Kerning

If you choose Optical kerning, InDesign uses a different approach: It calculates the kerning values based on the optical appearance of the character shapes. This can often better handle situations where fonts and sizes are mixed (see Figure 44-2). To apply Optical kerning, select a range of characters with the Type tool (or one or more unlinked text frames with the Selection tool), then choose Optical in the Kerning popup menu. The menu displays "Optical," for the selected text, but if you click an insertion point between two characters, InDesign shows you the actual kerning value.

Word Space Kerning

In addition, InDesign supports

word space kerning . This adjusts kerning only for the space bands in a range of text. (You can do this in XPress only if you've installed the Type Tricks XTension and have an extended keyboard.) To add space between words, select a range of text, then press Command-Option-Shift-Backslash/Ctrl-Alt-Shift-Backslash. To tighten space, press use Delete rather than Backslash.

Tracking

Tracking in InDesign and XPress are almost identical. You can set tracking values in InDesign by selecting a range of text and using the Tracking menu in the Character palette or with keystrokes (hold down Option/Alt and press either the Left or Right Arrow keys on your keyboard). Tracking is measured in thousandths of an em, and can be used in a style. Note that InDesign lacks XPress's tracking tables function.

By the way, don't try the keyboard shortcuts for tracking, kerning, or leading if you've selected a text frame with the Selection tool; then Option/Alt plus the Arrow keys duplicates the frame!