TrackingKerning

TrackingKerning is a term that can refer to two distinct but related concepts in typography: tracking and kerning. Understanding both is crucial for achieving optimal text legibility and visual appeal.

Tracking refers to the overall spacing between characters in a word or a block of text. It's a uniform adjustment applied to all letter pairs. When tracking is increased, the space between all characters expands, making the text appear looser. Conversely, decreasing tracking tightens the spacing, which can sometimes lead to characters overlapping if set too low. Typographers often adjust tracking to improve readability, especially in display text or headlines.

Kerning, on the other hand, is the adjustment of space between specific pairs of characters. Certain letter combinations, such as "AV" or "To," can have awkward gaps when standard spacing is applied. Kerning involves subtly altering the space between these particular pairs to create a more harmonious and visually pleasing appearance. This is a more granular form of spacing adjustment than tracking. Well-executed kerning is often imperceptible to the casual reader but contributes significantly to a professional and polished look. Many design software programs offer built-in kerning pairs, and users can also manually adjust kerning for individual letter combinations.