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Above, the four figure styles of GillSans Pro: tabular lining,
proportionallining, tabular oldstyle, andproportional oldstyle.
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OpenType Numeralsby Ilene Strizver
One of OpenTypes many useful features is its ability tomanage
the different styles of numerals available withina font. When youre
working with typefaces that offerboth lining and oldstyle figures,
each in bothproportional and tabular spacing, this is a
hugetimesaver!
Proportional oldstyle figures add elegance andsophistication to
body text. Proportional lining figuresblend better with all cap
settings, and make numericdata stand out from surrounding body text
(see FYTI:
Oldstyle Figures). Tabular lining and oldstyle figures
areintended for use in tables, price lists, or anywhere
thatnumerals must align vertically (see FYTI: Proportionalvs.
Tabular Figures).
The default figure style in most OpenType fonts istabular lining
figures. If thats not what you want, usethe OpenType palette in
your design application to choose the numeral style that bestsuits
your needs. You can use more than one figure style in a document;
both InDesignand Quark allow you to select a figure style for just
a few characters, a paragraph, or anentire document. Heres how to
access this feature in each application:
InDesign
Highlight text or select text boxGo to Character paletteSelect
OpenType paletteSelect desired figure style (located at the
bottomof the palette)
To change the default figure style in InDesign, select a
style before opening a new document. This default willapply to
every new document you create until youchange the setting
again.
Quark 7.0
Highlight textGo to Measurements toolbarSelect OpenType
paletteSelect desired figure style (located in the middleof the
palette)
Trial and error
At this time, neither the Quark nor InDesign OpenTypepalettes
have a perfect system for showing the userwhich figure styles are
available in any given typeface.
In both applications, you can use the glyph palette tofind out
whether oldstyle and lining numerals areincluded in your typeface,
but the glyph palette wont
tell you whether proportional or tabular versions
areincluded.
Usually, InDesign shows unavailable OpenType featuresin
brackets, but figure styles always remain unbracketed
nType Numerals - Fonts.com
http://www.fonts.com/Templates/PrinterFriendly/PrintThreeColumn.as...
2 12/09/2008 13:17
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in InDesign. This means you cant tell from looking atInDesigns
OpenType palette which figure styles areincluded in a font. A bit
of trial and error will benecessary to determine which styles are
available in thetypeface youve selected.
Likewise, Quark brackets the figure styles that donthave both
proportional and lining versions available in agiven font, but
doesnt indicate which one is available.
Again, to find out what choices you have, you need toactually
set the type and look.
Related links:
FYTI OpenTypeFYTI OpenType Pro
Editors Note: Ilene Strizver, founder of The Type Studio,is a
typographic consultant, designer and writerspecializing in all
aspects of typographic communication.Read more about typography in
her latest literary effort,Type Rules!, published by North Light
Books. This articlewas commissioned and approved by Monotype
Imaging
Inc.
nType Numerals - Fonts.com
http://www.fonts.com/Templates/PrinterFriendly/PrintThreeColumn.as...
2 12/09/2008 13:17
