Using fractional character widths

By default, type is displayed using fractional character widths. This means that the spacing between characters varies, with fractions of whole pixels between some characters. In most situations, fractional character widths provide the best spacing for type appearance and readability. However, for type in small sizes (less than 20 points) displayed online, fractional character widths can cause type to run together or have too much extra space, making it difficult to read.

You can turn off fractional character widths to fix type spacing in whole-pixel increments and prevent small type from running together. The fractional character width setting applies to all characters on a type layer--you cannot set the option for selected characters.

To turn fractional character widths on or off:

Choose Fractional Widths from the Character palette menu. A check mark indicates that the option is selected.