When publishing a font, there are sizing issues to be aware of.
Current Size
A font is digitized at a certain size – that is to say, however you made it. Usually this is based on fitting the reference art onto the design page. In typography, the uppercase ‘M’ is often considered the reference letter for sizing, so if you don’t know what size to use, select the ‘M’ and look at its height. Set that value in the Current height box.
Default Size
Fonts will load at a default size. This is usually what the digitizer thinks of as the best size, or the size the work was created at to stitch optimally. Set this value in the Default. Often, it is the same size as the font has been digitized, therefore it would be the same as the Current height.
Minimum and Maximum Size
If you’ve played with embroidery fonts at all, you’ll know there are limits to how well they’ll stitch at various sizes. Often the limits of down to 50% or up to 250% are used, but you may wish to experiment and discover the usable limits of the font. These limits only stop the user from dragging the sizing handles with the mouse. They do not prevent someone from overriding those limits by typing a value into the selection tool pane.
Spacing
Letter and word spacing are set as a percentage of height, consistent with normal typography. A value of zero will cause letters or words to have no separation. A value of 100% will cause things to separate to the height on the font – almost always impossibly large. If you are unsure, try a small value for letter spacing. Play around until you like it. Then use a low multiple of that for word spacing, ex: 8% letter, 20% word.
Kerning
There is another process in typography called kerning. This moves pairs of letters closer together, making the text more readable. Most fonts will look better kerned. You might have something such as an athletic applique where the font is designed to be spaced evenly, and this is known as monospaced. That’s available by leaving the ‘Automatically kern’ checkbox unchecked. If you are unsure, check it.