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Spacing

Spacing refers to the act of setting the horizontal space around each glyph. This is different from kerning, where the type designer adds specific rules (known as kerning data) to determine the space between two or more specific glyphs.

Spacing shown in Singel: the word type with pink rules standing in the gaps either side of each letter, marking the sidebearings built into every glyph that set how far apart the characters sit.

In type design, spacing refers to the act of setting the horizontal space around each glyph. This is different from kerning, where the type designer adds specific rules (known as kerning data) to determine the space between two or more specific glyphs. However, the reference to a “well-spaced font” generally means the spacing is both visually consistent and appropriate (i.e., is not too loose or too tight) for the typical size the font is expected to be used at.

When setting type, spacing can also refer to the act of making any typographic adjustment that affects space, such as leading (the vertical space between two lines of type), tracking (the overall horizontal spacing between glyphs in a block of text), or kerning (the specific horizontal spacing between two or more glyphs).

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About the author
Iveta Stoyanova

Iveta is the Social Media & Community Manager at Fontfabric. With a background in Rhetoric & Speech Communication, she writes about the human side of typography, the inspiration behind new typefaces, choosing the right font for your project, and font licensing.