To enable a string of characters to be arranged in a well-balanced and appropriate style, keeping characters arranged before and after a small character space from each other so that these characters are not mutually in excess proximity, even when such a small character is present in the string of characters.

A shortest distance LS1 between character faces, i.e., a first character F1 and a second character F2 is calculated by adding correction lines CF1, CF2 to the center of each of the virtual body widths of the first character F1 and the second character F2. Then a character compression amount U1 is calculated in such a manner that the shortest distance LS1 between character faces coincides with an indicated distance L4 between character faces. Finally the second character F2 is arranged by compression to the first character F1 before adding the correcting lines CF1, CF2 by the character compression amount U1.