Spacing & OpenType · 5 min
Kerning, tracking and ligatures: a practical font check
By JFFF · Updated September 19, 2026
An awkward gap can come from one letter pair, the spacing of a whole word or an application setting. These are different problems. Check them separately, using the actual text and size of your project.
1. Kerning adjusts a pair
Kerning changes the space between particular combinations. Diagonals in AV and WA create different pockets of whitespace from the straight sides of HH. Judge the apparent space, not only the numerical distance between outlines.
In the Object Latin tester, use the Uppercase sample and switch Kerning on and off. Compare AVATAR, To, Wa and Yo at a large size. Then return to your real title. A test pair helps reveal a problem, but the final word decides whether the setting works.
AVATAR / To Wa Yo
2. Tracking changes a run of text
Tracking adds or removes space across a selection. A little positive tracking can open an uppercase headline. Mixed-case text often needs less because its letters already have varied shapes and proportions.
For Object Latin, use the poster preset at +0.015 em or the mixed-case preset at 0 em as a starting point. These are examples, not universal rules. Increasing tracking across a word will not necessarily repair one troublesome pair; check the pair separately.
3. Ligatures replace combinations with a designed form
Standard ligatures can replace combinations such as fi or fl with a single designed glyph. The text still contains the same letters. The replacement changes their visual relationship, which is useful when neighboring details would otherwise collide.
Object Latin includes ff, fi, fl, ffi and ffl ligatures. Try office, affinity and flowing with Ligatures on and off. If your application does not expose the feature, its behavior may differ from this browser preview. Never assume that a successful browser test certifies every export format or design application.
office · affinity · flowing
4. Test figures, punctuation and accents
Use a sample such as Café — 2026, €48.50, “Objects”. Inspect the accent above the capital height, the spacing around quotation marks, and the distinction between a hyphen and a dash. An unsupported character may come from a fallback font and can look plausible at first glance.
For aligned prices or a small table, use tabular figures when your application supports tnum. For prose or a headline, compare the default figures first. Object Latin’s ornamental O is an optional stylistic set, ss01; it is not the default O used throughout the font.
5. Check the exported result
View the final PDF or image at its intended size, and compare it with the source layout. Look for substituted fonts, changed line breaks, missing ligatures and clipped accents. If text must stay selectable, inspect selection and copy-paste behavior as well.
Record the font version and the typography settings used in your file. If you report an issue to JFFF, include the exact sample text, app, operating system, version and size. Do not include private client text; a short non-confidential example is enough.