Tracking (typography)
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In typography, tracking is the manipulation of space between a group of letters (or glyphs) to optimize the typeset density of a block of text. Tracking is also known as letter spacing, or character spacing, especially in reference to computer typesetting.
Tracking is commonly confused with kerning; however, tracking refers to the space between all the letters of a word, while kerning refers to the space between two individual letters. Tracking is measured in points. Positive or “loose” tracking is increased space between letters. Negative or “tight” tracking is decreased space.
Tracking adjustments are often used in news design. The speed with which pages must be built on deadline does not usually leave time to rewrite paragraphs that end in split words or that create orphans or widows. Tracking is increased or decreased by modest (usually unnoticeable) amounts to fix these unattractive situations. The typical range of “acceptable” tracking in body text is −3 to +3 points; anything more or less than that is too noticeable to the reader and disrupts the flow of reading. It is preferable to use loose leading because a reader's eyes can jump white spaces more easily than they can distinguish cramped words. Tracking can also be changed for artistic effect in graphic design.
Word spacing is a related technique of increasing or decreasing the space between words.
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- A logo with tight tracking Notice the letters almost touch each other, especially the "r" and "a"
- A logo with loose tracking Notice the large amount of white space between letters. An entire extra letter could fit in between each letter.
