Design of Spacing for x-height Petite Capitals

Fonts and More Type Design
1

As I understand it, petite capitals should be optically aligned with the x-height but small capitals are noticeably taller.

2

This is how I designed Small and Petite Capitals for Garava Regular
Small and Petite Caps.png

  • Small Capitals are nearly 80% of the Cap Height (1145/1434)
  • Petite Capitals are equal to the x-height (958 funits)
  • Petite Capitals are approximately the same average width as the lowercase.
  • The aspect ratio of Small Capitals is similar to Capitals, Petite Capitals have a squarer aspect ratio
  • The stroke-weight of Petite Capitals is similar to that of the lowercase.

These are general principles, not design standards.