Setting Text in GIMP
GIMP is a popular free open-source image-editing application, but its Text Tool isn’t designed for working with text in a significant way. This shouldn’t come as a surprise because GIMP is designed for editing images. However, some users prefer to work with text in GIMP. If you’re one of these users, GIMP’s Text Tools offers a reasonable degree of control for working with text in the software.
Working With GIMP Text Tools
Adjusting the Line Spacing
GIMP offers options when working with the spacing of text that you can use to adjust how text is displayed on the page. The first of these is leading, which is also known as line spacing. Increasing the space between lines of text can improve legibility and have a positive aesthetic benefit. However, in some cases, space constraints mean that you don’t have this option and you need to reduce the leading a little to make it fit. If you choose to reduce the leading, don’t overdo it. If the lines of text are too close together, they become a solid block that is difficult to read.
Adjusting the Letter Spacing
GIMP offers another tool that can also be used to adjust how multiple lines of text display. It changes the space between individual letters. Just as you can adjust line spacing for aesthetic reasons, you can also change the letter spacing to produce more attractive results. Most common letter spacing can be increased to produce a lighter effect and make multiple lines of text appear less compact, although this feature should be used with care. If you increase letter spacing too much, the spaces between words become indistinct and the body text starts to resemble a word search puzzle rather than a block of text.
