The goal of many print publishers is professional- looking and readable typography. To help you reach this goal, both QuarkXPress and InDesign come with tools to ensure the best visual spacing between words and characters in your layout. To achieve the best results possible, you can use tracking or kerning.
Tracking is the process of loosening or tightening the spacing of a selected text. Kerning is the process of adding or subtracting space between two specific characters. Tracking and kerning are both measured in 1/1000 em, a unit of measure that is relative to the current type size. In a 6-point font, 1 em equals 6 points; in a 10-point font, 1 em equals 10 points.
Here are keyboard shortcuts to track or kern text in both QuarkXPress or InDesign. Keep in mind that if you want to track text, select at least two characters. If you want to kern, click between two characters.
QuarkXPress 7
- Decrease 1/20 em space: [command] [shift] [{]
- Increase 1/20 em space: [command] [shift] [}]
- Decrease 1/200 em space: [command] [alt] [shift] [{]
- Increase 1/200 em space: [command] [alt] [shift] [}]
InDesign CS 2
- Decrease 20 thousandths em space: [alt] [left arrow key]
- Increase 20 thousandths em space: [alt] [right arrow key]
- Decrease 100 thousandths em space: [alt] [command] [left arrow key]
- Increase 100 thousandths em space: [alt] [command] [right arrow key]