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Inspect

Measurements

Inspect measures the mark you select: its radii, stems, angles and symmetry, and the anchor points that do nothing. It leads with the figure and changes nothing in your document.

How to use it

  1. Open Inspect

    In Illustrator, choose Window › Extensions (legacy) › Linyal, then the Inspect tab.

  2. Select the mark

    Select its paths, a group or a clipping group. Inspect measures the selection by itself; there is nothing to press. Figures follow the document’s ruler units.

  3. Read the verdict

    Findings opens with the most visible finding and how many more there are. A mark with nothing off says so, and lists what it compared.

    Two radii differ by 0.14 pt · 2 more
Nothing off · No deviations in radii and angles

  4. Open a finding

    Each finding gives its figure and the printed width from which you would see it, such as “visible above 40 mm”. Hover it to light up the culprit in the panel’s drawing; Select puts it in Illustrator’s selection.

  5. Answer it, if you meant it

    Dismiss asks “Why?”. Intended keeps your answer on the artwork, so it stays answered after you save. Wrong finding, this session hides it for this session only.

  6. Read every measurement

    Specs lists the essentials, then each section. A section with nothing to flag is one quiet line; click it to open.

The three tabs

Findings
What was drawn almost, but not exactly, the same, most visible first.
Construction
The circles, axes and alignments the mark is built on, previewed live. See Construction.
Specs
Every measurement, with Clean up, Clear space and Save as brand logo.

What Specs reads

Size
Width and height of the paths, and what a stroke adds.
Stem or Unit
The thickness the mark is built from, and how much of the outline agrees with it. A dot’s diameter is its Unit.
Clear space
The space the mark needs around it. See Clear space.
Mirror
The axes the mark mirrors about, and how far off a near mirror is.
Radii
The radii the mark is drawn to, how many curves follow each, and radii that almost match.
Main angle
The angle that holds most of the straight sides.

Below them, sections go into detail: Radii, Stem, Symmetry, Angles, Alignment, Spacing, Tangency, Rotation and Shape. A section with a finding moves to the top.

Wordmarks

Three or more letters on one row are read as a word: each letter, the baseline, cap height, x-height and ascenders, the spacing between letters and their corners. One link under the tabs switches the reading: Measure as a mark, or Measure as letters.

How Linyal decides

How Linyal decides ›, at the foot of Specs, lists for the mark you selected how far apart two radii, angles or tangents must be before Linyal flags them. Closer than that is read as equal; further apart is read as your decision.

Provisional. Every rule is still marked provisional: none is yet tuned on real marks. On a wordmark, four letter checks show their figures without flagging them, under “4 checks not yet tuned on real marks”. No finding from a provisional check is printed in Present or on the client’s copy of the handover report.

Limits

  • Live text isn’t measured. Outline a copy first: Type › Create Outlines.
  • A mark of more than 4,000 points isn’t measured; select part of it. From 3,501 points, Inspect waits until you press Measure.
  • Symbols, images, blends, envelopes, Live Paint and gradient meshes aren’t measured; expand them first. In a mixed selection, Inspect measures the paths and says what it skipped.
  • Inspect measures the paths, not what the Appearance panel adds to them. To measure what you see, use Object › Expand Appearance on a copy.
  • Up to 500 selected items at a time.
This mark has more than 4,000 points; select part of it
Live text: outline a copy (Type › Create Outlines) to measure
Measured the paths · live text skipped

Free. The readout and every finding are free on every licence.

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