Chemical drawing software uses various heuristics or hard-coded rules to determine the spacing between labels and bond lines. This leads to suboptimal results, with the structures looking either cramped or too spaced out.
To improve the appearance of chemical structures, we should consider the shapes of the glyphs and adjust the spacing between atoms and bonds accordingly. This can be called "chemical kerning".
In the demo below, the gaps between atoms and bonds are calculated based on the offsetted glyph shapes to create the desired optical spacing. The result is a more visually pleasing structure.
You can edit the label to see how the kerning changes and even try inserting emojis.
A collection of elaborate, large-format chemical structure depictions. Discover the fine details of chemical structures in their own right.
A poster featuring the phonetic transcription of "банан" in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).
An interactive demo of the Computer Modern metafont.
Convert raster (bitmap) images to vector graphics online.
A curated list of awesome resources on typography.
A collection of quotes about typography.
A pronunciation guide for chemical elements.
All prices listed are in United States Dollars (USD). Visual representations of products are intended for illustrative purposes. Actual products may exhibit variations in color, texture, or other characteristics inherent to the manufacturing process. The products' design and underlying technology are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is prohibited.