Tracking is the average space between characters in a block of text. Sometimes tracking is also referred to as letter spacing.
Key Principles
- A modest increase in letter spacing is generally recommended
- Avoid both narrow and excessively wide character spacing in text blocks
Default Tracking
Default tracking is determined by the left and right side bearings inherent to each character, with the type designer establishing these specifications.
When selecting typefaces for web use, designers should prioritize fonts with naturally generous default spacing, since web platforms offer limited letter-spacing control. Alternatively, faces with tight default tracking can be adjusted by one pixel increments, though screen fonts are restricted to integer-only spacing adjustments.