Adobe InDesign Essentials: Typography Controls for Professional Documents

1) Essential Typography Controls and Where They Live

Character vs. Paragraph formatting (and why it matters)

In InDesign, most typographic problems come from mixing up character formatting (applies to selected characters) and paragraph formatting (applies to the whole paragraph where your cursor is). A clean document relies on using the right level of control so formatting stays consistent across pages.

• Character formatting: font family, style (Regular/Bold/Italic), size, leading (when set to a value), tracking, kerning, baseline shift, capitalization, OpenType features.
• Paragraph formatting: alignment, hyphenation, justification, indents, tabs, space before/after, drop caps, keep options, composer settings.

Where the controls live

• Control panel (top): context-sensitive; switch between Character and Paragraph controls using the icons on the left side of the panel.
• Character panel: Window > Type & Tables > Character.
• Paragraph panel: Window > Type & Tables > Paragraph.
• OpenType panel: Window > Type & Tables > OpenType (or via Character panel menu).
• Paragraph panel menu: optical margin alignment, composer settings, justification details, hyphenation settings.

Leading, tracking, and kerning: what each one actually does

• Leading (line spacing): controls the vertical distance between baselines. Too tight reduces readability; too loose breaks line unity.
• Tracking (overall letterspacing): adjusts spacing across a range of characters. Use for subtle refinement (e.g., small caps, all caps, headings), not to “fix” bad line breaks.
• Kerning (pair spacing): adjusts space between two specific letters (e.g., “T” and “o”). Use sparingly for display type or logo-like headings.

How to adjust quickly (with text selected or cursor placed):

• Leading: Alt/Option + Up/Down Arrow (or set a value in the Character field).
• Tracking: Alt/Option + Left/Right Arrow.
• Kerning (between two letters): place cursor between letters, then Alt/Option + Left/Right Arrow (or use the Kerning field).

Optical Margin Alignment and hanging punctuation

Optical Margin Alignment (OMA) makes punctuation and some glyph edges “hang” slightly outside the text frame so the visual edge of the paragraph looks straighter. This is especially noticeable in long-form text with quotes and commas.

Enable OMA:

1. Select the text frame (Selection tool) or place the cursor in the story.
2. Go to Window > Type & Tables > Story.
3. Check Optical Margin Alignment.
4. Set a size (often matching your body text size is a good starting point).

Hanging punctuation is effectively the result: opening quotes, hyphens, and some punctuation can sit slightly outside the frame edge, improving the perceived alignment of the text block.

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Paragraph spacing strategies (Space Before/After vs. returns)

Use Space Before and Space After to control vertical rhythm. Avoid pressing Enter multiple times to create gaps; that creates inconsistent spacing and breaks when text reflows.

Set paragraph spacing:

1. Click in the paragraph.
2. Open the Paragraph panel.
3. Adjust Space Before and Space After.
4. If you see double spacing between paragraphs, check whether both adjacent paragraphs have Space After/Before applied and decide on one consistent rule (commonly: use only Space After for body paragraphs).

Avoiding manual formatting that breaks consistency

Manual overrides (local formatting) are changes applied directly to text instead of through styles. They are easy to create and hard to maintain in long documents.

• Prefer Paragraph Styles for body text, headings, lists, captions.
• Prefer Character Styles for emphasis (italic, bold, small caps, inline code, links).
• Use overrides only for one-off exceptions, then clear them.

Spot and clear overrides:

• In the Paragraph Styles panel, a style name with a + indicates overrides.
• To clear: select the text and click Clear Overrides (panel button) or choose it from the panel menu.
• To keep the change but make it consistent: redefine the style (carefully) or create a new style.

2) Document Readability Rules for Long-Form Text

Body text defaults that usually read well

Exact values depend on your typeface and page size, but these guidelines help you evaluate readability:

• Line length: aim for roughly 50–75 characters per line for comfortable reading.
• Leading: often 120%–145% of type size for body text (e.g., 10 pt type with 12–14.5 pt leading), adjusted by typeface and column width.
• Paragraph spacing: choose either first-line indent or space between paragraphs for continuous reading; avoid using both heavily at once.
• Hyphenation: moderate hyphenation helps even spacing in narrow columns; too much creates visual noise.
• Justification: full justification requires careful hyphenation and justification settings to avoid rivers; left-aligned is more forgiving.

Use paragraph-level controls for rhythm and structure

For long documents, readability is as much about consistency as it is about aesthetics.

• Space After for body paragraphs: keeps spacing consistent even when paragraphs reflow across pages.
• First-line indent for continuous text: common in books; typically no indent after headings (handled via style rules).
• Keep Options: prevent headings from being stranded at the bottom of a column/page (e.g., “Keep with next 2 lines”).

Composer and spacing quality

InDesign’s paragraph composition affects how lines break across a paragraph.

• Adobe Paragraph Composer generally produces more even spacing across the paragraph.
• Adobe Single-line Composer treats each line more independently and can be useful for specific cases, but may create uneven texture in body text.

Where to set: Paragraph panel menu > choose the composer option. Apply via paragraph style for consistency.

Optical refinements that improve “professional” feel

• Optical Margin Alignment: improves the perceived edge of text blocks, especially with quotes.
• Kerning for display type: refine large headings where spacing issues become obvious.
• Tracking for all-caps: slight positive tracking often improves legibility and elegance in caps.

3) Practical Formatting Drills Using Sample Copy

Sample copy (paste into a text frame)

CHAPTER 3: TYPE THAT READS WELL

“Typography is the craft of endowing human language with a durable visual form.” In long documents, small spacing decisions compound across dozens of pages.

A well-set paragraph has an even texture, comfortable line spacing, and predictable rhythm. It avoids awkward gaps, excessive hyphenation, and inconsistent emphasis.

Key terms: kerning, tracking, leading, optical margin alignment, paragraph spacing.

1) Use paragraph spacing, not extra returns.
2) Use styles, not manual formatting.
3) Fix the cause, not the symptom.

Drill A: Separate paragraph vs. character decisions

Goal: ensure structure is controlled by paragraph formatting, and emphasis by character formatting.

1. Select the line CHAPTER 3: TYPE THAT READS WELL.
2. Apply a paragraph style intended for headings (or create one) and set: larger size, tighter leading if needed, and appropriate space after.
3. Select the quoted sentence and apply body paragraph formatting (or a body style).
4. Italicize only the word Typography using a Character Style (create one named Emphasis that applies Italic). Avoid manually clicking Italic each time.

Drill B: Leading and line length check

Goal: tune leading for comfortable reading and evaluate line length.

1. Click into a body paragraph.
2. Set type size (example: 10.5 pt) and start with leading around 13 pt.
3. Zoom to 100% and read two paragraphs. If lines feel cramped, increase leading in 0.5 pt steps; if lines feel disconnected, reduce slightly.
4. If your line length is very long, consider using multiple columns or a narrower text frame (line length is a layout decision, but you can still evaluate it typographically).

Drill C: Tracking and kerning in headings

Goal: refine display text without damaging body readability.

1. Select the heading line.
2. Apply slight tracking (example: +10 to +30) if the heading is all caps or feels tight.
3. Inspect problematic pairs (like TA, To, AV). Place the cursor between the letters and adjust kerning in small steps.
4. Stop when the spacing looks even; avoid over-kerning that makes letters collide or creates obvious gaps.

Drill D: Optical Margin Alignment for cleaner edges

Goal: improve the visual alignment of paragraphs with punctuation.

1. Select the text frame containing the body copy.
2. Open Window > Type & Tables > Story.
3. Enable Optical Margin Alignment.
4. Compare before/after around opening quotes and punctuation at the left edge.

Drill E: Paragraph spacing done right

Goal: create consistent spacing between paragraphs without extra returns.

1. Turn on hidden characters: Type > Show Hidden Characters.
2. Look for multiple paragraph returns between paragraphs. Delete extras so there is only one return between paragraphs.
3. With the cursor in a body paragraph, set Space After (example: 4–8 pt depending on your design).
4. If you use first-line indents, set a modest indent (example: 1 em) and then ensure the first paragraph after a heading has no indent via its style.

4) Common Typography Pitfalls and Corrections

Pitfall: “Fixing” spacing with extra spaces or tabs

Symptom: uneven gaps, misaligned text, layout breaks when copy edits happen.

Correction:

• Use paragraph indents and tab stops (defined in styles) instead of repeated spaces.
• Use Space Before/After instead of multiple returns.

Pitfall: Manual overrides everywhere

Symptom: the Paragraph Style shows a +; text looks inconsistent across pages.

Correction:

• Clear overrides for selected text.
• Update the underlying style if the change is truly needed everywhere.
• Create a Character Style for recurring emphasis patterns (e.g., Emphasis, SmallCaps, InlineCode).

Pitfall: Bad leading (too tight or too loose)

Symptom: readers lose their place; paragraphs look dark and cramped or airy and disconnected.

Correction:

• Adjust leading in small increments while viewing at 100%.
• Check multiple paragraphs, not just one; leading must work across the whole page.

Pitfall: Over-tracking body text to “open it up”

Symptom: body text becomes gray and harder to read; word shapes weaken.

Correction:

• Keep tracking near 0 for body text unless the typeface demands otherwise.
• If text feels dense, consider slightly increasing leading or choosing a more readable typeface/size combination.

Pitfall: Rivers and gaps in justified text

Symptom: vertical “channels” of white space; inconsistent word spacing.

Correction:

• Use Adobe Paragraph Composer.
• Adjust hyphenation settings (reduce overly strict limits that prevent hyphenation).
• Refine justification settings (word spacing/letter spacing/glyph scaling) conservatively via paragraph style.
• As a last resort, edit copy or adjust column width rather than forcing tracking changes line-by-line.

Pitfall: Quotes and punctuation make the text edge look uneven

Symptom: left edge appears jagged due to opening quotes and punctuation.

Correction:

• Enable Optical Margin Alignment for the story.
• Verify the OMA size matches your body text size (or close to it) for predictable results.

Pitfall: Inconsistent paragraph spacing rules

Symptom: some paragraphs have extra gaps; spacing changes unpredictably at page breaks.

Correction:

• Choose a single system: either Space After or Space Before as the primary separator.
• Define spacing in paragraph styles, not manually.
• Use separate styles for special cases (e.g., Body, Body First, List, Caption).

Pitfall: Kerning everything

Symptom: inconsistent letterspacing, especially across repeated headings.

Correction:

• Kerning is for targeted fixes in display sizes; avoid kerning body text.
• If a font consistently kerns poorly, consider switching fonts or using optical kerning for headings.