When Numbers Jitter in Tables
The Phenomenon
The amounts are right-aligned, one below the other – and yet the column looks restless, the digits seem to dance. The cause is the typeface: with proportional figures, a 1 is narrower than an 8, and in a table that makes the whole column jitter.
Tabular Figures
Good typefaces include a second set of digits: tabular figures (monospaced numbers), where every digit occupies exactly the same width. Amounts line up digit by digit – units under units, decimal point under decimal point.
Lining Figures
The style of the digits matters too: oldstyle figures with ascenders and descenders blend beautifully into running text but make tables bounce. Lining figures of uniform height keep the column calm.
How to Change It in GrandTotal
Your amounts live in the layout as placeholders in the table column: select the placeholder – such as <cost/> – and right-click to open the Typography submenu. It lists exactly the features your chosen typeface offers – for example Ligatures, Number Spacing or Character Alternatives. Under Number Spacing you choose between proportional and monospaced numbers; the preview images show the effect before you click. Reset Typography restores the typeface's defaults at any time. If an entry is missing, the typeface simply doesn't include that feature. And when you change a feature on a right-aligned placeholder, GrandTotal offers to apply the same setting to every right-aligned placeholder in the layout – all your number columns – in one step.
At a Glance
Tabular figures for amounts
Every digit the same width – columns line up digit by digit.
Proportional figures for text
More harmonious in running text – they only disturb tables.
Preview in the menu
Small samples show each feature before you apply it.
Applies to the selection
Affects the selected text – and can be reset at any time.
Not every typeface has it
The menu only shows features the typeface actually contains.