Abstract: A digital typesetting correction system assembles lines of characters for typesetting and applies a correction program which identifies characters in combination pairs having contour elements to be corrected. The system automatically corrects the contour elements of characters in identified combination pairs appearing in a text for tighter spacing or a better visual appearance. The correction program has correction functions for reducing the width of a bar of a character, contracting a serif, defining the edge contour of a character to be parallel to the edge contour of an adjacent character, or applying any combination of these functions in accordance with specified percentage amounts. The system includes a memory for storing correction tables specifying particular correction parameters for specific combination pairs. In a design mode, a character, a set of characters, or parts of characters are designed and stored for later recall.