6.8.4 Altering font metrics to adjust tabs

You might need to adjust font metrics if you find that the effect of tabbing in the RTF file does not match the effect in FrameMaker. The Mif2Go font metric value is an approximation; if the metric:

• underestimates text width, the result might be an extra tab

• overestimates text width, a needed tab might not be put out.

Missing tabs, extra tabs

Generally only very small adjustments (one unit at a time) are needed:

• If a tab is missing that should be present, reduce the metric value for the font used for that line.

• If an extra tab is present, increase the metric.

To specify font metrics:

[FontWidths]

; RTF font name = relative width, to compute line length for tabs

; reduce if needed tabs omitted, increase if extra tabs present

; add entries for any additional fonts used in RTF documents

Times New Roman=90

Table 6-3 lists the default metrics for common fonts.

Note:  Altering font metrics has no effect on the output of normal text; the metrics are used only to calculate tab positions, and to process text lines in graphics that include font changes.

Use tables instead

The font metric value does not affect tabs at the start of a line, but only tabs positioned after some text. Often the best way to avoid trouble for such tabs is to use a FrameMaker table instead.

Another way to avoid trouble is to ensure the following:

• only tab stops that are actually used are present

• no tab stop is “too close” to the end of text in the previous column.

Worst case is when you have tabs set every half inch all the way across the page, with tight columns; you might not be able to find font-metric values that makes them all work.

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