Quote:
Originally Posted by Doitsu
I've found many drop caps examples on the Internet, but none of the authors explained how they arrived at the values that they used and often the examples only worked with the fonts that they used in their examples.
IMHO, there must be a way to calculate the perfect values for font size, padding, margins etc. for any given font if the cap and line heights are known.
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In my humble opinion, Doits, it's not possible. I wish to hell it were. We've done I-don't-know-how-many books with dropcaps, both print and eBook, and there's simply not one-size-fits all. The base font, the leading (line-height), the dropcap font, all cause variables.
We've spent a small fortune developing "perfect" dropcap coding for given fonts--and each and every one is custom-coded, for the base font in a given size parameter against the dropcap font. EVERY single one, each letter has its own coding. Not the entire alphabet, each letter. It's a lotta, lotta work.
Not to mention, ever try to determine the x-height of a font? Or find a font with a "tall x-height?" Easier said than done, brother. Font metrics are a whole other rant of mine...lol
Hitch