Typophile

Adjusting Font Width

Clay

Hey everyone,

I originally typeset a role-playing game (yeah, sort of like Dungeons and Dragons) 5 years ago that I wish to refresh with a new edition. I have considerably more knowledge about the ins and outs of typesetting and am pretty sure I can do a better job now. :)

The original book used Palatino, but I adjusted the width to 92.5%. I really love how Palatino reads, and it has a more playful vitality than most Serif alternatives. However, it's a space hog, and this is how I dealt with it.

I've tried Palatino's text companion, Aldus, but it just doesn't read as nicely to me. Is adjusting a font's width a real faux pas? Or is a certain amount justifiable, and if so, how much?

DanNisbet

I've personally regarded it as a 'no-no' because I've seen it abused so many times. Depending on the application, often I'll adjust the tracking/kerning or simply re-size the font to a smaller (yet readable) size to accommodate more text.

Tiffany Wardle

Some fonts withstand some squooshing. Most don't. Of course, your audience might not even notice it so you *could* get away with it. But then we'd track you down and torture you.

1985

Only if you rolled the correct dice, Miss Tiffany.

Captured from web.archive.org on 14 Oct 2013. view this capture