PURPOSE: To provide a kerning processing method capable of quick arrangement of inter-typeface spaces.

CONSTITUTION: Dot patterns of object characters stored in a dot pattern data string expansion memory 15 are shifted toward the dot pattern of a reference character by one dot. A pair of dots between which the space between dot patterns is shortest in the direction orthogonal to the shift direction are stored as a candidate dot pair in a candidate dot pair storage part 18 at each time of shift. Space information in the shift direction and that in the direction orthogonal to the shift direction in the contact state between virtual bodies are obtained in accordance with original addresses of candidate dot pairs and are stored in a space information storage part 20. A put-close amount calculating part 22 calculates the amount of put-close based on these space information and amount of inter-typeface space stored in an inter-typeface space amount storage part 5. The minimum amount out of calculated amount of put-close is stored in a put-close amount storage part 24. Object characters are arranged closely to the reference character by the amount of put-close stored in the put-close amount storage part 24.