[Libreoffice-bugs] [Bug 107405] Setting fixed kerning (text spacing) is limited to -2pt

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org]

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=107405

--- Comment #19 from TH <thuck777 at yahoo.com> ---
Here is my input on this bug / serious issue from what was apparently a
"duplicate."  Note that for me, this is a showstopper in terms of being able to
use my necessary font for titles, as the font's normal kerning is awful,
automatic doesn't help, and reducing character spacing is too limited (due to
the bug / issue in LibreOffice) to help.  This forces me to use a different
font, which I really don't think I can do in this case, or use a different word
processor like MS Word, which I'd prefer to avoid if possible.

Description:
Artificial character spacing limitation of -2.0 points (next to Kerning) is
INSUFFICIENT for a font like Lucida Casual when using Small Caps for a word
like "The".  Need at least flexibility to go to -14.0 points.

In a word like "The" for a title using a font such as Lucida Casual (e.g.,
Regular), which is available for download at
https://fontsgeek.com/fonts/Lucida-Casual-Regular , it is NOT possible to
properly kern the characters "Th" when using Drop Caps with a hard limit of
-2.0 (minus 2.0).  There is no good reason for such a hard limit condensing the
space.  We can expand spacing (going the other direction) far beyond 2.0; here
we need to be able to condense the spacing beyond -2.0 (e.g., to -14.0) to get
the desired pair kerning for "Th" using Drop Caps.  This limitation, if it
remains a hard limit like this, forces use of another word processor (e.g., MS
Word) just to produce the title on a page using such a font.  (That happens to
be the font I HAVE to use in my case.)

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Download and install Lucida Casual font (regular and italic), getting it
from https://fontsgeek.com/fonts/Lucida-Casual-Regular
2. Add a 42-point title such as "The Document in LibreOffice" to a page, select
it, and while it's selected, go to Character -> Character... -> Font Effects,
and specify "Small capitals".
3. Select "Th" in the title text, go to Character -> Character... -> Position
-> Character Spacing, and there enter the highest NEGATIVE number you can in
Writer, which currently has a hard limit of "-2.0 pt".  Look at the result,
which is UNSATISFACTORY.

Actual Results:
With a hard limit of -2.0 pt for condensing text such as "Th" using small
capitals in a title with the word "The", we CANNOT get sufficient reduction in
the space between the "T" and "h" to achieve proper kerning.  We need to be
able to enter a higher negative value to achieve tighter kerning, such as -12.0
or -14.0, in this case.

Expected Results:
I need and want to be able to further decrease the space between characters,
beyond what the strange hard limit of -2.0 can achieve.  (Lucida Casual is NOT
the only font with such an issue in LibreOffice, it's just the one I need to
immediately address in this context.)

Reproducible: Always

Additional Info:
There are two downloadable versions of the Lucida Casual font at
https://fontsgeek.com/fonts/Lucida-Casual-Regular , each with Regular and
Oblique styles.  Either one of those downloadable fonts will suffice to
demonstrate the above issue / unnecessary limitation.  (I would prefer to not
have to go to a paid word processor such as MS Word to do the title, which is
currently the only reasonable workaround.)

P.S.  See the cover of the book "The AntiChrist and a Cup of Tea" (or its title
page if you can find that somewhere) for an example of the desired kerning,
which cannot currently be achieved in LibreOffice due to the hard limit of -2.0
pt for condensed character spacing: 
https://www.amazon.com/Antichrist-Cup-Tea-Tim-Cohen/dp/0966279301/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=antichrist+and+a+cup+of+tea&qid=1602003724&sr=8-1

IS THERE SOMEONE AVAILABLE WHO COULD FIX THIS KERNING LIMITATION IN
LIBREOFFICE.  IT'S BEEN OVER TWO YEARS NOW SINCE IT WAS REPORTED....

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