How to create thicker / fatter fonts - LOCKED

[fernandos126]

Is there any way to take an existing font and increase is thickness (think fatter) without increasing it's size too much?

[phyllisj9]

You can add a very thin stroke around the font (a way to fake bold if the font doesn't have it). Someone suggested 1/100th of the font weight as a starting point. I'm sure the original font designer would hate you for it... 😉 (Use this idea sparingly.)

Hope that helps,
Phyllis

[Peter Spier]

Pick a different font.

[fernandos126]

We have a standard font that I have to use, I just would like to make it a bit thicker to make it stand out more.

[BobLevine]

He happens to be right. It's far easier and much safer to pick a better font. Just because you get an answer you don't like doesn't mean it's wrong.

Bob

[LoganKM1982]

I didn't see him freaking out. Not only that you ignored his response, he has a font he HAS to use. Am I missing something? Did he edit his post? You kind of sound like a complete asshole

[BobLevine]

You just replied to an eight year old post. You have no idea how things were edited or what was delete.

[LoganKM1982]

Well you just proved I was right about one thing. Have a good day.

[Bo_LeBeau]

If you read post # 7 the original posted apologized  . . . Had a crappy day at work so I was in a bad mood. I apologize.

You say you  . . . didn't see him freaking out.

Then why did the original poster apologize?

It usually takes a bit of extreme language to get a post edited or deleted.

Bob was right, without seeing the deleted post you have no way to judge the actions that were taken.

[sf25908739]

Proved that to me as well.

Kinda surprised at the general attitude of supposed MVPs on this forum!  Adobe, do you just hand MVP  titles out to anyone?

I usually observe subject matter experts take the higher road when approached by frustrated learners.  Not once, but twice in the same thread do we get to observe poor display by MVPs.

Hopefully this was an isolated incident.

p.s. Peter's second reply was what I would have expected from a SME.  Definitely answered the same question for me, so thanks Peter!

[Steve Werner]

This thread has begun to devolve. I'm locking it.

[Peter Spier]

There are three major problems with stroking a font in order to increase the weight (aside form making it larger, which you yourself said was not desired).

1) you fill the counters in open letters and destroy the subtlety of hairlines and serifs.

2) you change the x-height and baseline relative to unstroked text.

3) the additional stroke weight reduces the letter spacing, crowding the text.

Aside from making your work look bad, there's no particular reason not to stroke fonts, but considering how many options there are, it's pretty hard to imagine you can't find a similar font that actually has the weight you need. Stroking fonts should be an absolute last resort.

Was that more helpful?

Peter

[Jongware]

In addition, your client will complain if s/he gets PDF proofs.
The thicker characters will stand out as dead flies in otherwise immaculately rendered text.

Even suggesting to zoom in and/or make a print didn't convince
i my
client, the last time I resorted to this trick. So I found myself another font.

[fernandos126]

Thank you Peter, that's more helpful. Had a crappy day at work so I was in a bad mood. I apologize.

[Peter Spier]

No problem. I had a long day, too, and had just gotten home from trying to teach my father how to use FireFox -- a losing battle on the best of days.

I usually get accused of giving too much information. :)