Typophile

Tighten tracking in-font

tmbo80

Hi folks,

I'm in a bit of a dilly of a pickle and I was wondering if any of you had a simple answer for me. The problem is this: I am building an iOS app that allows users to create photobooks on their phone. The problem comes in with the type. I have the font sent to -40 tracking in inDesign but unfortunately the iPhone SDK does not allow for tracking between characters without some pretty headache-inducing coding. So now I'm thinking of tacking a different tack: adjusting the tracking in-font using software like FontLab. Any ideas how to do this? Is it even possible?

Cheers!

K Cerulean Pease

In FontLab: Tools, Action, Metrics, Adjust metrics, Right sidebearing, Adjust by -40, Apply to entire font, OK.

I don't know if "-40 tracking" in InDesign is -40 units-per-em or some other measure, so check.

Make sure the font license allows such modifications.

tmbo80

Thanks so much for your answer. I'll look into the font's license to see if it's copacetic for me to make that kind of alteration.

Riccardo Sartori

I would suggest looking for a narrower (version of the) font. A -40 tracking could severely impair legibility.

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