The proper fit or spacing of letters has been next to impossible using the type-bearing metal rectangular forms required by typographic engineering; rather, it has required the letter-by-letter attention of an artist/letterer. The advent of film composition and computer technology makes possible again the proper coordination of spacing and design of letterforms. In typography, space and letter are one. Optically adjusted text spacing will require attention to the subtleties of each letter’s optical center and the inner forces involved in our eyes’ perception of these letterforms. The author’s Optical Letter Spacer is described, and its application for reading research is discussed.
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