Typophile

Language specific line height

Jason Pagura

Is it possible to specify in OpenType features a change in line height for specific languages?

This is especially useful for languages that have stacked diacritics like Vietnamese where those accents might frequently interfere with the line above, but might also help optically with languages that use frequent capitals like German, or that are entirely of majiscule form, like Cherokee.

I've finally learned how to change the default line height so my font won't show up as if it's always set for Vietnamese, but should I rely on the end user to adjust the leading themselves or would it be prudent to provide it as a feature in the font?

guifa

I don't think so ... also what effect would that have on a line that has multiple languages?

I guess it could just go with the max line height, but I that might be pretty visually jarring if it's just for one or two words. I'd set the default for single-accented text, and at most suggest to the user a preferred line height for different languages.

«El futuro es una línea tan fina que apenas nos damos cuenta de pintarla nosotros mismos». (La Luz Oscura, por Javier Guerrero)

David Berlow

"Is it possible to specify in OpenType features a change in line height for specific languages?"

This has been specifically proposed for the size table to be added to the OT spec.
It is a critical addition that we would all like to see implemented. Vote here. :)

Cheers!

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