Certain pairs of letters sometimes appear to be separated by too much space. This effect is particularly apparent in a headline with an uppercase T next to a lowercase o, or an uppercase W next to a lowercase a, etc.

Kerning reduces the space between individual pairs of letters to improve readability.

Kerning can also be used to add space between certain letter pairs. This is often done to improve legibility when setting white type against a black background.

Tracking automatically governs the amount of space placed between each character throughout a black of text.

By tightening tracking, you increase the destiny of your text fitting more words into the same amount of space. This tends to "darken" a publication. Conversely, loose tracking lightens a page.

Most desktop publishing system have a default tracking that can be adjusted.

Stretching a word across the top of a column or page can transform that word into a graphic element. Letter-spacing is often used to create department headings, identifying standard recurring features in periodicals.

The amount of space between words affect word density readability of a publication.

When word spacing is tight, more words can be included on each line. In certain situations, that can be reduce the number of hyphenated-or-split-words.

However, word spacing should be adjustable with care. If you reduce word spacing too much, the text becomes difficult to read and the publication becomes "dark."

Tracking and word spacing are often adjustable simultaneously. One common technique, especially with high-x-height typefaces is to slightly reduce letter spacing and increase word spacing.

When experimenting with tracking and word spacing, be sure to review proofs before deadline time to ensure you've achieved the right balance.

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