Use the Sharing pane of the Preferences dialog box (QuarkXPress/Edit menu) to set the default options for new shared content. Use the Character pane of the Preferences dialog box (QuarkXPress/Edit menu) to specify how QuarkXPress constructs typographic styles such as Superscript and Subscript:

• Use the Superscript area to control the placement and scale (size) of superscript characters. The Offset value determines how far below the baseline QuarkXPress places a superscript character. The Offset value is measured as a percentage of font size. The default value is 33%. The VScale value determines the vertical size of the character and is a percentage of font size. The HScale value determines width and is a percentage of the normal character width (as specified by the font designer). The default value for both scales is 60% (range = 0 to 100%, measurement system = percentage, smallest increment = .1).
• Use the Subscript area to control the placement and scale (size) of subscript characters. The Offset value determines how far above the baseline QuarkXPress places a subscript character. The Offset value is measured as a percentage of font size. The default value is 33%. The VScale value determines the vertical size of the character and is a percentage of font size. The HScale value determines width and is a percentage of the normal character width (as specified by the font designer). The default value for both scales is 100% (range = 0 to 100%, measurement system = percentage, smallest increment = .1).
• Use the Small Caps area to control the scale of characters with the Small Caps type style applied to them. The VScale value determines the vertical size of the character and is measured as a percentage of font size. The HScale value determines width and is measured as a percentage of the normal character width (as specified by the font designer). The default value for both scales is 75% (range = 0 to 100%, measurement system = percentage, smallest increment = .1).
• Use the Superior area to control the scale of superior characters. The VScale value determines the vertical size of the character and is measured as a percentage of font size. The HScale value determines width and is measured as a percentage of the normal character width (as specified by the font designer). The default value for both scales is 60% (range = 0 to 100%, measurement system = percentage, smallest increment = .1).
• Use the Ligatures area to use ligatures built into a font. A ligature is a typographic convention in which certain characters are combined into a single glyph. Most fonts contain ligatures for the characters “f” followed by “i” and “f” followed by “l”. The Break Above field enables you to specify the kerning or tracking value (measured in 1/200 em space increments) above which characters will not be combined into ligatures. For example, a headline with a large tracking value would probably not contain ligatures. The default value is 1 (range = 0 to 10, measurement system = .005 [1/200] em space, smallest increment = .001). To prevent the second two letters in “ffi” and “ffl” (as in office and waffle) from being combined into ligatures, check Not “ffi” or “ffl”. Three-character ligatures for these combinations, common in traditional typesetting systems, are not standardized in fonts designed for Mac OS, so some typographers prefer to keep all three letters separate rather than combine only two of them. Note that many PostScript fonts do not have “ffi” and “ffl” ligatures, but most OpenType fonts do. This option is unchecked by default.
• Check Auto Kern Above to specify that QuarkXPress uses kerning tables, which are built into most fonts, to control intercharacter spacing. The Auto Kern Above field enables you to specify the point size above which automatic kerning must be used. The Auto Kern Above feature also implements custom tracking information specified in the Tracking Values dialog box for a selected font (Utilities > Edit Tracking). This option is checked by default, with a 4-point threshold (range = 0 to 72 pt, measurement system = various [", pt, cm, etc.], smallest increment = .001).
• Check Standard Em Space to specify an em-space equivalent to the point size of the text (for example, 24pt text has a 24pt em space). If Standard Em Space is unchecked, QuarkXPress uses the width of the two zeros in the current font as the em-space width. This option is checked by default. You can insert an em space in text by pressing Option+space/Ctrl+Shift+6.
• Use the Flex Space Width field to change the 50% default width of a flexible space. To create a breaking flexible space, press Option+Shift+space/Ctrl+Shift+5; to create a nonbreaking flexible space, press Command+Option+Shift+space/Ctrl+Alt+Shift+5. The Flex Space Width value is expressed as a percentage of the normal en space for a given font and font size (range = 0 to 400%, measurement system = percentage, smallest increment = .1).
• Use the Accents for All Caps check box to specify whether to include accent marks on accented characters with the All Caps type style applied. This option is checked by default.