For a given tuplet, IWBNI it were possible to displace the horizontal position of the center of the number or ratio relative to the center of the gap in the bracket.

As it is now, the width of a tuplet number is horizontally centered within the gap. With this approach, the number is positioned so that the distances shown in red in the following figure are equal:

The vertical lines in this figure have been added to show the width of the font character.

Alternatively, one might wish to adjust the position of a tuplet number so that the distance from the tip of the left bracket to the character outline equals the distance from the tip of the right bracket to the character outline. When this approach is used the distances shown in red in the following figure will be equal:

For some numbers, the two approaches can lead to nearly the same result. For example, for the number 3 we have:

Method 1: Centered

Method 2: Equidistant

To obtain the result of method 2 from that of method 1, the number 3 must be shifted to the left by 2 pixels.

With other numbers the difference is easier to see.

Method 1: Centered

Method 2: Equidistant

In this case, to obtain the result of method 2 from that of method 1, the number 7 must be shifted to the left by 4 pixels.

Such adjustments may be made by editing the font that is used for tuplet numbers. Specifically, the horizontal position of a character may be changed relative to its width. However, such changes can result in characters that are improperly spaced in tuplets that are ratios. Kerning may be adjusted to compensate for this. However, kerning information is not always used when printing from Finale (For a related suggestion, see: Suggestion 714: Use Kerning Information in Postscript Fonts when Printing on the Windows Platform.)

This feature could be implemented by adding an edit control called Number Displacement to the Position section of the Tuplet Definition dialog box. This entry could be positive or negative and would specify the number of units that the number should be displaced from center.

Created: January 13, 2000
Last Updated: January 13, 2000
Version: Finale 2000b