Positioning, Spacing, and Measuring

Measuring

The two units of measurement commonly used for measuring type are points and picas. Points are used to indicate the size of type or the leading (spacing between lines). A point is 1/72 on an inch. Picas are larger units of measure, as 6 picas make one inch. Quick conversion is 12 points make up 1 pica, 6 picas make up an inch, and 72 points make up an inch.

Baseline

This is the invisible line that letters and other characters sit on. Rounded characters sit slightly below the baseline; if the rounded part of the character sat exactly on the line, it would appear to not line up with other characters.

Kerning

The horizontal spacing between two characters. Adjusting the kerning between characters helps to create the appearance of consistent spacing between certain letter combinations. The spacing between each letter combination is different so kerning is not an exact spacing amount—it’s about overall visual consistency. A rule of thumb is to kern any type larger than text because the letter spacing is more noticeable in headlines and subheads.

Tracking

Kerning and Tracking are in essence referring to the same attributes, the only difference being that kerning is the space that is adjusted individually between two characters (normally in a headline), while tracking is the spacing between characters that is adjusted over all the text. Tighter tracking reduces the space between each character; looser tracking increases the space between each character. Tracking that is too loose or tight is harder to read; the right amount of spacing between each letter helps to define each character.

Leading/Line Spacing

The vertical spacing between lines of text is measured from baseline to baseline. The term leading comes from the day when type characters were made of lead. The lead type was placed into a jig, which was then mounted on a press. Ink was applied to the type and pressed into paper. Leading referred to actual strips of lead that gave spacing between the lines of the characters. Leading is measured in points.