![how to adjust kerning in word 2016 how to adjust kerning in word 2016](https://static-cse.canva.com/blob/569611/kerning13.png)
I find that a little consideration to spacing makes a huge difference in the look of my book titling and labels. The internet is filled with bad kerning examples and the results are hilarious Kerning vs. If some letters are too close or farther apart, it could result in a totally different meaning. In this example, I expanded the spacing of the I and B and reduced the spacing for the R. Using the kerning process, you can fix that to make the overall word look more visually appealing.
![how to adjust kerning in word 2016 how to adjust kerning in word 2016](https://www.howtogeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Spacing-between-characters-option.png)
Under the Advanced tab, you can choose Expanded or Condensed spacing and modify it with a number. The kerning is adjusted in a similar way to the leading: with a letter highlighted, right click and select Font. I find this spacing more subtle on a screen, but much more obvious on a printed label for some reason. On the right, I have adjusted the letters to have a more uniform appearance. Compare the “IB” to the “RO” spacing in “LIBRORUM”.
![how to adjust kerning in word 2016 how to adjust kerning in word 2016](https://hipfonts.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Kerning-in-Typography.jpg)
The example below uses Centaur as the typeface and, on the left, you will see some bigger variation between letter spacing. Next you may need to adjust the spacing between letters, also known as kerning. After setting the line spacing to Single, you can then customize the point spacing after each line to achieve the leading you want. With all the text selected, right click and select Paragraph. Word seems to default to multiple spacing between lines, so I remove all of that first. With the text generally arranged and sized to fit, I will start adjusting the spacing between lines, commonly referred to as “ leading“. There is a lot of literature about choosing typefaces and laying out book titling, so I won’t get into any of that here. I will also set the box to have a compound line (thick and thin) to look more like traditional tooling. Before typing any titling text, I set the dimensions of the text box based on measurements from the spine of the enclosure. When setting up a label in Word, I will often start with a simple text box.
HOW TO ADJUST KERNING IN WORD 2016 SOFTWARE
Common word processing software doesn’t make this type of layout work easy however, I have recently discovered some simple tricks in Microsoft Word that can be employed to achieve a more pleasing arrangement of text. One of the major problems I have had with setting up paper labels digitally is the lack of spacing control between lines or between letters that one has with a hot stamp or handle letters. With a little effort in setup, paper labels can look surprisingly good on a box. Paper labels are very quick to make, especially in large quantities, and everyone has the necessary equipment. Stamped leather labels are certainly a nicer option, but require special equipment and are very time consuming to produce. In addition to considering the layout and typeface, there are a number of materials and printing or gilding techniques that can be used to create one. One can really go down a rabbit hole when it comes to making labels for book enclosures.