Kerning problems with some Adobe Fonts (Montserrat)

[Nena_itns]

Hi! I keep running into this weird issue across all Adobe Apps (including PS) with some fonts. Currently, I'm having problems with the Montserrat font. Default kerning is terrible! Some letters keep getting glued together, others have decent kerning, and I have to correct everything every time manually. All of my settings are at default and I selected Metric kerning. I understand Montserrat is not some anonymous font, and Metric should do a decent job.

Am I missing something? Does this happen to anyone else?

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Nena_itns,

Thank you for sharing the screenshots and explaining the issue with Montserrat’s kerning. It’s not uncommon to encounter slight inconsistencies with fonts, even with popular ones like Montserrat. 

Why this might happen: While Metric kerning relies on font-embedded spacing data, some fonts may still require manual adjustments depending on their design.

Here’s how you can troubleshoot and address this issue: In the Character panel, change Kerning from Metrics to Optical. Optical kerning allows Photoshop (or other Adobe apps) to adjust the spacing based on the shapes of the characters, which might yield better results for this font.

Let me know if these steps help improve your workflow or if you need further assistance!

Best,

Anshul Saini

[Nena_itns]

Thank you for your suggestion! Optical Kerning does yield better results but is still not perfect.

I guess I am just surprised such a popular font has such problems.

[G_Man]

Glad I'm not the only one experiencing this. Since Montserrat was updated in 2024 (around July I think), when some fools decided to mess around with the weights , the kerning has been less than amateur. Bugs the hell out of me. Looking to replace Montserrat, to be honest. Every time I open an old file, I get a world of problems. Unfortunately, the response you got above, is from someone who is not a working professional and cannot grasp the issue.

[Nena_itns]

Agreed! When you have multiple materials you're working on, it's just unproductive to manually fix everything. Choosing a better font is a better option.