The readability of any test is very often determined to a fairly high degree by the font used to write it. Many users do not want to be content with what modern fonts offer and try to create their own fonts. However, there are many problems in the process, if you do not take into account some important points. Creating your own beautiful font is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. Therefore, we will try to consider some of the nuances associated with this painstaking work.
How to create a beautiful font: problem statement
First of all, at the initial stage, you should clearly define the main goals for yourself. Whether a font will be created for academic publications, for comics or entertainment projects - this largely determines the main stages of work.
Next, you should decide how exactly the font to be created should look and whether it will fit into the future project (sans serif font, serif font, characters with the correct geometry, finally, whether the font will be based on the designer’s own handwriting), how well it will look in long documents , not just in headers.
Naturally, one should take into account how the characters will be visually perceived when magnified. It is also worth paying attention to in the whole document. Of course, some simple program can be used to change the font of an existing one, but most experts do not recommend using other fonts as a basis, because if you want to achieve originality, such tools are not suitable for work (except perhaps only for understanding the basics of editing).
First stage
Creating sans-serif letters is considered more difficult, so it’s better to start with a cursive font. A program to create a font from your handwriting can be used in the later stages, and at the very beginning it is recommended to draw a few characters by hand, and then make some combination of them and see how it looks in the general plan.
This approach allows you to immediately assess many shortcomings, because handwriting can be very specific and highly individual, and not all readers of future texts will be able to read it. Uncomfortable reading can simply push away a potential reader.
In the simplest case, you can even just take photos for the letters, and then make words or combinations from them (on a computer or manually from natural pictures).
First letters
Computer processing and programs for creating fonts do not need to be implemented immediately. You should start by creating two, as it is believed, main letters. These are uppercase Latin letters "n" and "o", and capital ones - "O" and "H".
Some experts in this field recommend using the combination "adhension" (or "adhencion"). It is believed that the creation of sequences of these particular characters by hand in the early stages of developing a future font allows you to fully understand the geometry and proportions of each letter, number or symbol.
In the future, this will simplify the task of drawing symbols already in computer program. But initially it is better to draw them manually, because without certain knowledge on a computer it will be quite problematic to create smooth lines or transitions.
Font Makers: Transferring a Font to Your Computer
But, let's say the font has been created, and so far no specific program has been used to create it. The next step is to transfer the font to a computer environment. Needless to say, this will require a scanner and appropriate software.
And for these purposes, you can use many applications, but all those who have encountered similar software packages, as a rule, recommend using Adobe Illustrator - a program that is universal in every way. It is advisable to first paint over the drawn characters with a bright marker, and then also make a border with a pen to smooth out the shapes.
But after all, not all novice designers have practical skills in working with this application, since the program itself for beginners is considered quite difficult to master. Therefore, a high-quality, although not new, application called FontLab Studio is perfect.
Despite its some obsolescence, the application has a lot of modules in its arsenal professional level, including Bizet's drawing tools, glyph viewers in 2D rather than just horizontal planes, various automatic converters, and font mergers. In addition, in this software product support for most well-known font formats (TrueType, ASCII Unix, Open TrueType, Mac TrueType), as well as designs created using the same Adobe Illustrator in BMP, AI, TIFF, EPS, etc.
If you don't want to draw...
In such a situation, the BirdFont utility is perfect for the user - a small program for creating your own font, as they say, from scratch.
Despite its simplicity, the application has an excellent toolkit, where you can separately draw letters or symbols with reference to a geometric grid, create glyphs on top of existing images, automatically convert characters to vector form, advanced font import options and add metadata.
If you want to make a project based on your own handwriting, you can resort to using the FontCreator application. The program is quite easy to learn and has good capabilities not only for creating, but also for testing fonts, even when tied to a standard PCI keyboard with different layouts.
Font testing
Finally, the font is created and processed for further use. At the next stage, you should first pay attention to how the characters will look in one word, line, paragraph or in full text in terms of its readability.
Also, it's worth trying to resize the text and evaluate how well it looks at different scaling options. Almost all programs for creating fonts have such capabilities, but it's better to just print the text and see for yourself. A sheet with printed text in different sizes can be hung on the wall and viewed from a distance or close up to analyze the shortcomings. It is also desirable to send some text to acquaintances or friends so that they can evaluate the work, because the author, as a rule, has only his own, purely personal opinion and perception of what has been done.
What programs are better to use?
Now it remains to look at the most popular programs for creating fonts, which are mostly used by both professional designers and ordinary users. Among all the variety that is offered on the market today computer technology, it is worth noting the following software products:
- FontLab Studio;
- FontCreator;
- birdfont;
- fontographer;
- FontForge;
- Type 3.2 font editor;
- FontStruct;
- BitFontMaker2;
- fontifier;
- YourFonts;
- Glyphr;
- iFontMaker;
- FontArk;
- MyScriptFont etc.
In this list, you can find programs for creating fonts in Russian, free and paid utilities. And yes, they do differ quite a lot in terms of capabilities. So you will have to choose based on your own considerations, needs or testing applications in work.
Instead of total
As can be understood from all of the above, the process of creating your own font, on the one hand, looks quite simple (when using programs), and on the other, it requires imagination and perseverance. Here, the emphasis was specifically on developing your own font, rather than processing an existing one, since a creative approach on the part of a designer always looks more interesting than copying something that already existed. I would like to hope that these simple tips will help all beginners to comprehend all the stages in the development of their projects. Well, programs for creating fonts are a second matter. The main thing is the original idea of the creator himself, so to speak, creativity to the solution of the task. And this, as you know, is welcomed in the first place.
On the this moment there is a huge variety of fonts, but some users may want to create some of their own, completely unique design. Fortunately, in our time, it is not at all necessary to have the skill of calligraphic writing for this, because there are quite a few big number specialized programs designed to facilitate this process.
X-Fonter is not designed to create your own fonts. She, in fact, is an advanced manager that allows you to better navigate among the many sets installed on your computer.
Also in X-Fonter there is a tool for creating simple compact banners.
type
Type is excellent tool to create your own fonts. Allows you to draw characters of almost any complexity through the use of tools available in the built-in set. Among those are straight lines, splines and basic geometric objects.
In addition to the standard method of creating symbols described above, Type has the ability to manually program them using the command window.
scanahand
Scanahand stands out from the rest due to the way it works with fonts. To create your own font here, you need to print the prepared table, fill it in manually with a marker or pen, and then scan it and load it into the program.
This font maker is best for people with calligraphy skills.
font creator
FontCreator is a program developed by High-Logic. It, like Scanahand, provides the ability to create your own unique fonts. However, unlike the previous solution, FontCreator does not need to be applied additional equipment like scanner and printer.
Generally, this program similar in its functionality to Type, because it uses approximately the same set of tools.
Font Forge
Another tool for creating your own and editing ready-made fonts. It has almost the same set of functions as FontCreator and Type, but it is completely free.
The main disadvantage of FontForge is a rather inconvenient interface, divided into many separate windows. However, despite this, this program occupies one of the leading positions among similar solutions for creating fonts.
The above programs will help you better interact with different fonts. All of them, except perhaps X-Fonter, have many useful features for creating your own fonts.
Are you tired of the daily monotonous use of regular fonts? Or maybe you have some creative ideas for your own font and its style? If yes, then we want to tell you that since you are confident and creative enough, it's time to start visiting free sites where you can bring all your ideas related to fonts to life. Yes, that's right, because there are many resources for graphic designers on the Internet where you can design and design your own fonts. In the future, you can use them in your own projects or share with others. It’s worth noting that there is a huge demand for new and exciting types of fonts right now. Believe me, the graphic world just needs talented font developers, and if you are good at it, then you can also earn extra money on it.
We offer you a list of 10 free resources with tools where you can create and create new creative fonts.
Bird Font is an online tool for creating and editing vector graphics. The service offers import and export settings for True Type Font (TTF), Embedded OpenType Font (CRT), and Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). On the site you can explore many features and tools for creating various vector images. The most popular among them are curve orientation, contextual binding substitution, kerning, object rotation, background change, and much more.
The site is designed specifically for creating fonts and offers an efficient platform for font design. The resource will be useful for enthusiasts who like to experiment with fonts and create new types. On FontStruct, you can create fonts using various geometric shapes, such as tiles or brick grids. In addition, here you can find ready-made new types of fonts. Fonts built on FontStruct are called FontStructions and can be installed or downloaded in a True Type Font (.ttp) file. They can also be used in Photoshop applications, Mac/Windows, or on websites and blogs. This is a site that is really worth paying attention to.
Glyphr Studio is a font design and editing program and a tool that offers many interesting features. On Glyphr Studio, you can create your own character ligatures and glyphs using various vector editing tools such as pen and pointer. One of its characteristic advantages of the service is the import of SVG code from Inkscape and Illustrator. The tool offers a dual screen mode for easy design and editing. Among other things, Glyphr Studio supports font files such as True Type Font (TTF), Embedded OpenType Font (EPB), and Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) font files.
The site is a browser-based tool for designing and editing bitmap fonts. The service allows you to download or upload fonts to their gallery in a True Type Font file.
MyScriptFont is a great online tool for creating vector fonts from your own handwriting. All you have to do is download the template in PDF or PNG format and then print it. Next, write the text in it by hand, scan and upload to the site (the program supports JPG formats, PNG, PDF and others). You can also use Paint to write text. Unlike other similar tools, MyScriptFont allows you to view and download your handwritten font in Open Type and True Type formats for free. Handwritten fonts can be used in graphic programs, greeting cards, logos, personal letters and more.
FontForge is an online platform for creating free fonts. It has an easy to use user interface and a built-in program for comparing different fonts. With FontForge, you can create and edit fonts in a variety of formats, including PostScript, SVG, True Type, Open Type, and more. Also, at your service is the full text of the textbook, which helps in professional training in creating fonts.
FontArk is what every font designer is looking for. Access to the service is only free for a limited time, but it's actually worth taking advantage of. FontArk is a browser-based program and a generation of font tools with a built-in fluid grid system. FontArk's design and editing tools are what sets the site apart from its contemporaries. It offers users real-time, multiple glyphs, character editing and font design tools, as well as logos. In addition, it offers many other features and supports multiple languages.
PaintFont.com is another great tool for converting handwriting to vector fonts. The site has an extensive set of pre-made characters categorized into categories such as ligatures, math, and punctuation. The tool suggests glyphs and symbols from various languages: Japanese, German, Turkish, Hebrew, Spanish and others.
You can create fonts or upload and modify your own using the custom tools at Fontastic. The service offers several features such as adding or changing colors, adding shadows, zooming, and syncing across multiple devices. The site also contains a huge collection of vector icons that can be used to implement any of your design projects. They are sorted into several categories for complete convenience. 
This service can be called perfect place for professional font designers and amateurs alike. The service has more than 20 parameters that allow you to experiment with built-in glyphs. Also here you will find several editing and design functions that will be expanded in the future. 
A few more resources you might find useful:
FontPunk.com is a free online styling and visual effects tool to create a visually appealing font for an advertisement, flyer or website.
FontConverter.org– free online converter font files.
Font Squirrel is a free online resource with a collection of web fonts that are licensed for commercial use.
Conclusion
Now you know that developing your own fonts is very easy if you have the right resources. For the self-taught and hobbyist, these resources are useful for learning practical skills such as kerning, curve tuning, exploring structural variations, and glyph assembly.
Decoration is a boundless ocean, growing every day. New font types are created daily every day or by making custom changes to already existing fonts. Fonts enhance the visual appeal of text content, which is why designers are constantly looking for new font styles to make their work as fresh and innovative as possible.
| windows | 835 Kb | homepage | download from us |FreewareInstalling fonts "for temporary use" regardless of their location (at least over the network).
The system is not "overloaded" large quantity permanently installed fonts (besides, it is limited).
When the program is closed (or restarted), the fonts are no longer installed (visible by all programs).
List of Sets and a list of fonts from each set.
Labels for "temporarily off this temporary list" :).
The number of created sets is not limited.
Convenient call from FontMassive (first select the fonts in FM and open the context menu of the list).
Ability to work independently (without the entire FontMassive Pack).
Working with the command line.
Minimize to tray (“to the clock”).
★★★★★
Free Font Renamer
| windows | 650 Kb | homepage | download |FreewareProgram for renaming collections of fonts. Usually font files are named abbreviated and it is not entirely clear which one is where. This program can batch rename all files, including subfolders (if we want), returning them to their original names. Free Font Renamer can also remove spaces from font names if needed. All fonts located in the Windows system folder will be ignored.
Nexus Font
| windows | 1.9 Mb | homepage | download from us |FreewareManager for managing fonts in the Windows system.
It is possible to display written text using different fonts.
The application supports TrueType, OpenType and Adobe Type1 font formats. NexusFont is also very useful for installing and removing fonts, finding duplicates, renaming and so on. It is also possible to export the preview window as an image.
This is very useful if you need a font to be confirmed by a client or colleagues.
A type designer, like no one else, needs a good selection of programs for creating, modifying, viewing and managing fonts. In this review, I tried to more or less fully consider three categories of programs that are vital in everyday work - these are editors, font managers and viewers, as well as various utilities. I hope that this review It will also be useful for designers and layout designers who, by occupation, often encounter fonts.
FONT EDITORS
Alphabet Synthesis Machine
A very remarkable program implemented as a Java applet. If desired, any web surfer can try his hand at creating fonts. Only the font you create will not even come close to Cyrillic or Latin. The fact is that the mechanism of this editor is built as follows: the alleged author enters the page with the downloaded Alphabet Synthesis Machine applet, draws a certain sign (it is not at all necessary that it looks like any Cyrillic or Latin letter), and ASM, based on the parameters of this sign, completes the entire alphabet. Moreover, to generate the remaining characters, the algorithm for constructing genes is used. The resulting product, more like a font of a foreign civilization, can be saved on your computer in TTF format.
Approximately 50 such fonts are created per day. If you wish, you can delve into the archive of this project.
It would seem that this is an absolutely useless project - the creation of fonts that cannot be used in the daily activities of a designer or layout designer. However, it is not. The creators of ASM relied on philosophical concepts, which can be found on the pages of the project server. We will not touch on them, so as not to be distracted from the topic of the review.
- Golan Levin, Jonathan Feinberg, Cassidy Curtis
- http://alphabet.tmema.org/entry.html
BDF Font Editor
A simple font editor written in Tcl/tk under *nix. Allows you to create and modify fonts in BDF format.
bitcopy
Quite an interesting editor for creating, modifying and converting fonts. BitCopy makes it easy to create bitmapped fonts from scalable fonts for PCL and PostScript printers. Works with all standard font formats including PostScript Type 1, TrueType and FastFont. In terms of editing, BitCopy allows you to: rotate characters, "impose" a shadow, invert (white / black), generate bold and thin styles (relative to normal), scale, create new characters using "application", and so on.
Font Creator Program
Font Creator is a fairly average program. Allows you to convert blanks from raster format (.bmp) to vector, as well as create and edit fonts in TrueType format. From functional features can be noted: reading and writing TTF fonts, "raster->vector" conversion, primitive tools for working with curves, combining and splitting paths, unlimited number of rollbacks / repetitions (undo / redo), kerning, PCL5 window, splitting composite glyphs into simple ones , result preview window (control text), Unicode mapping, autokerning, autometrics.
FontLab
TypeTool as a light version of FontLab.
FontLab, in terms of the number of features and ease of use, I consider the font editor of all time. It has everything you need both to create fonts from scratch and to modify them:
- Glyph Editor - environment for creating signs;
- TrueType & Type 1 Hinting - manual and automatic hinting;
- VectorPaint Tools - excellent tools for working with vector objects;
- FontAudit Technology - a unique technology for automatically detecting and eliminating problems with the contours of the created characters;
- Font Metrics and Kerning - professional font metrics and kerning editor with automatic features;
- Transformations - various transformations applied both to individual characters and to their groups;
- Font Header Editor - access to edit all font properties from name and supported code pages to specific TrueType metrics.
The latest, fourth, version of FontLab has full support for the OpenType format - import, creation, editing, export and conversion. Earlier versions also introduced similar font support in the Multiple Master format. Very helpful new feature Macro Language, which allows you to write not only scripts in Python, but also create your own tools and even plugins (plugins), which will significantly expand the already rather big possibilities of the program. Also noteworthy are the new tools for working with the contour - Knife, Magic Wand, 3D Rotate, Scale and Slant, Sketch-mode for creating a new contour with Ikarus-like tools. Plus, to all this magnificence, a customizable user interface that allows you to customize almost everything - from keyboard shortcuts to new buttons on the tool palette.
GOTE
GOTE - GNOME OpenType editor. The name is very loud - let's see what happens from this venture. The beta version I've tried so far only works with TrueType fonts. In the next version, the creators promise support for Type1. So far, the set of functions is small, although it is still possible to create a font from scratch. In its work, the program uses the Gnome libraries - specifically, glib, gdk, gtk+, gnome, gnomeui, libglade. These libraries are included in almost all recent Unix/Linux distributions, including FreeBSD, Solaris, and Irix.
- Robert Brady (Department of Electronics&Computer Science, University of Southampton)
-
LaserJet Bitmapped Font Editor
DOS bitmapped font editor. Maximum dimensions fonts - 110 pt (VGA), 80 pt (EGA), 88 pt (Herc&AT&T), 44 pt (CGA). There is a whole range of special effects. It is possible to import black and white images in .PCX and .TIF formats. Unfortunately, not all mouse models are supported, which may seem wild to modern users.
Macromedia Fontographer
Despite the fact that the program has not been updated for a long time, it is still considered one of the most professional editors. In addition to the functions inherent in these programs, Fontographer allows you to import / export images in EPS format, as well as kerning pairs. Authors can generate fonts in PostScript Type 1 and TrueType formats.
Unfortunately, in Win 2000/XP the editor works with critical errors. But no updates and corrections in the program are expected. It's like the natural death of the Fontographer...
PfaEdit
A very dynamic and promising UNIX-based editor for creating and editing Type 1 and TrueType fonts. In terms of the number of functions and ease of use, it can be put between FontLab and Fontographer. And among * nix-platforms, it is the undisputed favorite. A very big plus is the ability to correctly convert fonts into different formats for different platforms - Type 1, TrueType (PC, UNIX and Mac). I advise developers to take a closer look at this program.
Pilot Font Editor
An interesting simple font editor for PalmOS. Includes: fontedit (the Pilot Font Editor itself), GetFonts (system font loading utility) and FontHack123 (a utility for replacing system fonts with your designs).
Softy
A unique editor for creating TrueType and bitmap fonts. Probably, the author - David Emmett (David Emmett) - could have made quite a candy out of it. Unfortunately, David died a few years ago from incurable disease. This editor is very popular all over the world among novice type designers. The editor has all the necessary functions for creating and modifying fonts. The output formats are TrueType, FON, FNT, LaserJet SFP, SFL.
TypeDesigner
A very advanced professional editor. TypeDesigner has not only tools for creating and modifying fonts, but also a number of functions that automate routine operations. Among the features of the program are: support for editing fonts in Type 1 and TrueType formats; simultaneous editing of up to eight fonts; test printing with a bunch of functions; global transformations (stretch, italicize, shift position, change boundaries, ...); autokerning; global change in the width of stems; context sensitive help; autohinting with adjustable parameters; kerning editor; any rotations and mirror images; any operations on the contour; import of EPS, Calamus CFN fonts; 10 levels of undo / redo (Undo / Redo) and so on.
FONT CONVERTERS
CrossFont
The program works in Windows environment 95, 98, NT, 2000, XP and converts TrueType and PostScript Type1 fonts between Macintosh and PC platforms. The input and output formats are AFM, PFM, INF, PFA, .dfont. When converting, all metrics and hinting are preserved. I must honestly admit that I do not consider the results of this program to be sufficiently correct and satisfactory.
TransType
The program works under Win and Mac platforms. Allows you to convert TrueType and Type 1 fonts between both platforms, as well as just from one format to another. The Multiple Master format is not forgotten either. From own experience I know that all conversions occur as correctly as possible, and I recommend TransType for use by font creators.
true blue
TrueBlue is a free Mac utility for converting fonts from True Type (TTF) to PostScript Type 1 (PS). Moreover, the converted fonts can be installed into the system with one click, immediately. Batch mode is supported, i.e. all conversion work can be carried out both with individual files and with entire folders containing fonts. In addition to the standard conversion procedure, it is possible to change the names of fonts and entire families, write them in Binary / Ascii encoding formats, translation into latin1, latin2, latin4, latin5, as well as Cyrillic (Russian, Bulgarian, etc.) is supported.
FONT MANAGERS AND VIEWERS
!Fonts
Fonts will allow you to sort your fonts into groups such as cursive, gothic, decorative, etc. After that, you can connect this or that group with one click "on the fly". To create a new group, remove or install a font, you will have to click not once, but twice. In my opinion, not bad.
ADing Font Manager
A fairly advanced font manager that allows you to: find and display both installed and uninstalled fonts on disks (including network ones). Can generate and save font samples in JPEG or GIF formats (moreover, it is possible to create an HTML page with these font previews). Displays a character map and saves it in HTML format. Finds duplicates. Installs and uninstalls fonts. All of the above operations, the program can perform with fonts that are in the ZIP archive. And so on, so on
Adobe Type Manager (ATM)
I don’t even know if it’s worth writing about this program, which is the de facto standard for everyone related to design and printing… Adobe Type Manager (ATM) allows you to organize work with fonts in PostScript Type 1, OpenType and TrueType formats. You can activate only specific fonts or entire sets of them and disable them as soon as they are no longer needed.
Current versions: 4.6 for Macintosh and 4.1 for Windows.
Advanced Font Catalog
Advanced Font Catalog (AFC) is a handy program with an interface similar to Windows Explorer (aka Explorer) and allows you to catalog your font deposits, no matter where they are located: hard drives, network drives, CD-ROMs, optical, ZIP, Jazz CDs, etc. In addition to simply viewing font samples as a test phrase, AFC allows you to add comments to each font file, directory, or disk; organize searches by file name, font, style, font author or your comment; import descriptions and comments from files "index", "files.bbs", "descript.ion" and so on. AFC has a multilingual interface. Any of eight languages can be selected after installation. Available: English (default), Russian, Danish, Hungarian, Portuguese, Slovenian, Spanish and Turkish.
AL Font Installer
The program serves as an add-on for Windows Fonts. Allows you to view, install and remove fonts of any Windows-compatible formats from any sources and media. It's not exactly to my taste, but it deserves the closest attention.
AMP Font Viewer
This program allows you to view installed and not installed fonts (bold, italic, bold italic, underline, color) and organize them into categories according to certain conditions. In addition, the program allows you to remove and install specific fonts or entire sets, print examples of each font from a custom list, connect fonts "temporarily", etc.
Anchek FontPeeper
Anchek FontPeeper is a small professional utility for viewing your PostScript Type 1, TrueType, OpenType (Win 2000/XP only) fonts, including character sets (mapping), limits, styles, code pages and more.
Extensis Suitcase
Extensis Suitcase is one of the best font managers available in personal and online versions. The online version allows you to use the same set of fonts for your workgroup. You can view fonts in four versions at the same time: one font in different sizes; all characters of the alphabet; an array of text typed in the selected font and a set of characters in custom text. It is possible to print samples with very flexible settings. Connecting and disconnecting font sets is almost the same as ATM from Adobe.
Fontastic
A very simple font viewer. All it can do is show a test phrase of any size up to 500 points in styles: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough.
Font Buddy 2
AT recent times quite a few simple and functional font viewers appeared. FontBuddy 2 is just one of them. The program features allow you to view and print installed fonts and just collections located on other disks and media. It works quite well in conjunction with ATM and Suitcase, has support for double-byte fonts (for example, Japanese) and a duplicate search function. Some operations are performed by the Drag and Drop method. The interface is in three languages, however, Russian is not among them. Requires MacOS 9 and above.
FontExampler
It is impossible to come up with a simpler program than FontExampler. The application generates a list with examples of all installed fonts based on the proposed sample text. Works only under MacOS X 10.0.
FontExpert 2000
In my opinion, the best Russian program from the "middleweight" category. Last year, she already got into one of the reviews, where she received only flattering reviews and for good reason - the program is developing very dynamically, acquiring more and more features with each new version.
I will take the liberty of saying that with such a pace of development, we can expect it to move into the category of heavyweights, where Suitcase, Font Reserve and others feel at ease. FontExpert views, prints, and manages TrueType, OpenType, Postscript Adobe Type 1, and bitmap (.fon) fonts. Detects problems. The "expert Kirillov" built into the program offers solutions to every problem (file name conflicts, typefaces, character sets, bad file, bad font substitution, etc.).
Of the possibilities:
- installed Windows fonts - select character set, unload, uninstall, filter by character set;
- fonts on disk - select a character set, copy, cut, paste, install, filter fonts by character set;
- font search - powerful search with saving the results for later work;
- font properties - detailed information about the font, version, metrics, Panose settings, etc.;
- character table - font comparison, scaling, colors, selection of the Unicode section;
- text samples - choosing from a list of samples, entering your own text, loading text from a file, choosing colors from a ribbon palette;
- preview and print - 5 types of reports for printing; Windows Shell Addition - Adds Open, Print, and Install by FontExpert commands for .ttf files to the Windows Explorer context menu (also adds a property page for .ttf files with details about the font file).
The program allows you to filter fonts, for example, to select from the complete list only fonts that contain Cyrillic or only character fonts, or those that have the Greek alphabet, etc. You can easily "scroll" through the character sets available in the font, for example, view the same font with different sets: "Cyrillic", " Western Europe", "Greek", etc.
Font Explorer
Average manager. Of the possibilities, we can note: a tree-like hierarchical representation of a set of fonts; sorting by name, font family and other criteria; quite complete information about the characteristics of fonts; preview of all font characters; automatic generation of previews of all fonts with writing to a file; printout with flexible settings; installation / removal of fonts directly from the program and more.
FontLib 98
Pretty good font manager. Allows the user to view, print and install fonts from any source (network drive, CD-ROM, etc.), complete sets and connect them in bulk. The program has other features that you don't have to look for long - the interface is simple and friendly.
Font List
A very simple font viewer. All it can do is view and print samples of the fonts installed on your system.
FontLook
A very simple and extremely easy-to-use font viewer. Allows you to view and print both installed fonts and collections located on network drives, CD-ROMs, etc. It has very flexible settings for printing samples.
FontMatcher
This is a wonderful free utility that helps you find the desired font from a scanned sample in a few minutes. It's a pity that it only works with TrueType fonts and hangs when ATM is enabled. I advise you to carefully consider the settings. The speed of processing and the accuracy of the determination will depend on this.
FontPage
A simple program with a friendly and intuitive interface. With it you can view fonts including styles (bold, italic, underline, 3D, color); print samples of individual fonts and a complete set. Supported formats: TrueType, Type1, OpenType and bitmap fonts.
font preview
The simplest program to view the fonts installed on your machine. It is possible to sort by several parameters.
Font Reserve
Font Reserve is one of the most powerful font managers for the Mac platform. However, according to the developers, work is underway to port it under Windows. Perhaps by the time you read these lines, there will already be a version for Win 2000/XP. Font Reserve is practically in no way inferior to such monsters as ATM Deluxe or Suitcase, but more than that, it uses new technology based on the use of databases. Plus, the original interface in the style of "X" and features such as showing kerning pairs and other, other, other ...
FontReview
FontReview is a compact font viewer for Windows 95/98/NT4/2000. I should note that when installed, it replaces the standard Windows viewer and, after deleting FontReview, you run the risk of being left without the standard FontView. Doesn't work with Cyrillic. After that, I somehow don’t really want to consider a huge number of its advantages ...
Font Service
Font Service is quite an interesting font manager, but with a somewhat "wooden" interface, I would say. You know how it happens, everything seems to be fine and everything is in place, but no, you constantly hit sharp corners. So in this case, - at first you have to do a lot of extra clicks until you figure out how to use this or that function. And the functions of the program are quite worthy: connecting and disconnecting fonts on the fly, previewing them, printing them, searching by font name or file name, comparing samples in subwindows, and so on.
Font Show 2000
A small program for viewing TrueType fonts and printing their samples. You have the opportunity to view not only the test phrase, but also the full set of characters.
fontshowcase
FontShowcase is aimed at viewing and printing both installed and uninstalled fonts. The print functions are quite flexible - you can choose to print either a sample of one font, or all, or only a selected group. New in viewing font samples from the screen is the slideshow. What has become commonplace in graphical viewers seems somewhat alien in regards to fonts. It is possible that this is just a matter of habit ... Additionally, you can note the search function by font name and the recording of comments on any of the samples.
font-thing
A well-known program for managing TrueType fonts under Win95/98,NT. The manager allows you to: view installed and not installed fonts as a test phrase and each symbol separately, detailed information about a font, print samples, make notes on these samples, install and remove fonts, "temporarily" connect any number of fonts, search and filter by some parameters, compare several samples, etc.
FontWorld
A simple font viewer. I decided to mention it only because this application works under BeOS, which in itself is wonderful. I like this OS and I know what difficulties the adherents of "BESHKA" experience due to the lack of programs.
Font Xplorer
A fairly well-known font manager from Moon Software traces its history back to 1996 and is built on the platform of such a well-known program, Multimedia Xplorer. The program is aimed at design and desktop publishing professionals. It seems that many people working in the above areas have already tried this program, and perhaps they still use it. Font Xplorer allows you to view both installed and uninstalled TrueType fonts, compare multiple samples, print according to professionally designed templates, find and remove duplicates, rename, view full information about fonts and their authors, copy characters as a vector image, " repair" problematic fonts, fully customize the toolbar, etc.
Hamster Font Manager
HFM is an interesting font manager for Unix systems. Currently includes support modules: X-Window, Ghostscript, TeX. The PostScript module handles PS fonts. Unfortunately, HFM is not friendly with other formats. Distributed under the GPL (GNU Public License).
- Institut für Informatik - Universitat Stuttgart
- http://www.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/ifi/se/service/hamster/index_e.html
ListFont
A simple free viewer for installed fonts. But it can show all characters in all available code pages, which is important for those who use non-Latin scripts.
MasterJuggler Pro
An interesting font manager that allows you to connect fonts dynamically - without leaving the program in which you are working at this time. Most of the operations can be performed using the Drag and Drop method. This is one of the few managers that allows you to work with fonts located on network drives. What else can MJP do? It can check and fix fonts for the most common errors (broken file, duplicate names or IDs, metrics that have moved out, etc.), is compatible with all DTP and design applications, QuickDraw GX and any computer running Mac OS 7.0 and above.
Printer""s Apprentice
Many people have tried this program. Printer""s Apprentice is a professional font manager for Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/XP. Easily works with fonts in TrueType and Adobe Type 1 formats. It has tools for viewing, printing and installing fonts from a variety of media. I highly recommend that those readers who do not yet have their favorite font manager take a closer look.
TTFMan
The simplest font manager that allows you to view all installed and not installed fonts. In addition, it is possible to install and remove fonts, as well as print samples with a predefined test phrase and custom.
TTF Manager
TTf Manager allows you to manage TrueType fonts under Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/XP. Using the program, you can: install and remove fonts, sort them into categories, find and solve problems with fonts in automatic mode, find and remove duplicates, search by font name, highlight installed fonts and version differences, use a special window to display information about the font (file name, font name, code pages, PANOSE, etc.), view the character set, print samples (with a huge number of options), rename fonts, etc.
Typograph
A fairly well-known font manager, known, unfortunately, for its rather unstable work. The program allows you to view, print and manage TrueType and Type 1 fonts.
Sorting has very flexible settings, and information about fonts is just on top. Typograf allows you to find and remove duplicates, group fonts according to specified parameters, enable and disable them interactively. The manager allows you to work with several types of fonts: TrueType (preview, install, "temporary" download), PostScript Type (preview, install, "temporary" download) - if you have ATM, bitmap (.fon) fonts. For all these font types, all available information is shown: full name, family name, author information, version, copyright, size, creation and modification date, PANOSE system classification, IBM Font Classes, internal metric structure, etc.
Unicode Viewer
The program allows you to view all characters of a font, regardless of the code page. Actually, this is almost all and ends. Very simple and pointless...
WGL Assistant
I can rightfully call WGL Assistant one of the most used and useful programs. It solves many problems when using multilingual TrueType fonts (Unicode fonts/WGL4 fonts) in all Windows applications, including programs that do not support the Unicode standard. WGL Assistant, in the process of installing fonts, creates their virtual counterpart with a certain suffix. For Cyrillic it will be the prefix "Cyr". Such a font will work with almost any application quite correctly. As a font manager, WGL Assistant can view very flexible fonts in different code pages and install them.
Win32 Font Lister
A simple and rather mediocre viewer for both installed and not yet installed fonts. It has a standard set of features. I included it in the review for two reasons: firstly, it is one of the few programs that allows you to print sample fonts in several columns and place headers and footers on them; and secondly, it allows you to save font samples in BMP and JPEG formats.
X Fonter
X-Fonter is a simple and what I would say friendly font viewer and manager with advanced features. It allows you to find and view (on any, including network drives) any installed and not installed fonts. Accordingly, it is possible to install and remove certain fonts. Search and filter font files by name, code page and style; display it all in adjustable size, style and color. When I mentioned advanced features, I meant such a "bauble" as creating inscriptions in 3D (there is a built-in bitmap editor) and saving the result in JPEG format. All program settings can be saved and used in the future.
UTILITIES
CacheTT
CacheTT is a console application for modifying TrueType and TrueType Open fonts. Modifications involve the creation and/or modification of the VDMX, hdmx and LTSH tables.
digital signatures
It's no secret that fonts are one of the most insecure products out there. They do not have special keys or codes for installation, there is no trial, for example, a 30-day period of use. Microsoft plans to change this situation in the future. For this, the Digital signatures program has already been developed. It allows authors to certify their fonts and embed a special digital signature. It will also be possible to determine the period of use of such a font. Future Operating Systems, for example, some Windows 2005 will be able to check such a signature and, in a positive case, allow you to use such a font, and otherwise, not even install it on the system. All this, however, applies to fonts in TrueType and OpenType formats. Considering that almost all manufacturers see the future behind the OpenType format, one can hope that fonts will soon become a fairly secure product.
fastfont
This program optimizes a TrueType file for faster reading. During this optimization, the most frequently used tables are moved to the beginning of the file.
Flint
32-bit Windows application for testing TrueType fonts. During operation, it checks hinting instructions and other technological parameters.
Font properties extension
A very useful utility. Once installed, right-clicking on a font file and selecting "Properties" allows you to view extended information about the font. Namely: file name and font name, version, code pages, hinting, license text, description, author and foundry references, embedding permissions, number of kerning pairs, etc.
Microsoft Visual OpenType Layout Tool "VOLT"
VOLT (Visual OpenType Layout Tool) provides a convenient graphical user interface for working on adding OpenType tables to TrueType fonts. The program also allows you to import / export glyph names, lookups, glyph groups, and so on. Supports Arabic (Naskh and Nastaliq scripts), Bengali, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Greek, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, Latin, Sinhala, Syriac, Telugu and Thaana scripts. Is free.
Microsoft Visual TrueType
A great app from Microsoft for professionally instructing TrueType and OpenType fonts. Works under Windows (Win 95, 98, NT and 2000) and Macintosh (PPC).
SBIT32
A 32-bit console application that inserts bitmap information (""sbits"" (for ""scaler bitmaps"")) into existing TrueType fonts. To use SBIT32, you first need to create a file that contains bitmap information (.BDF) and a metrics file (.MET). SBIT32 reads this input and includes it in the TrueType file. By the way, SBIT32 can also be used to remove such data from a font file.
TrueType Friendly Namer
A simple utility for changing the name of fonts, which can also be done in batch mode.
True Type Open Assembler
These two DOS utilities, TrueType Open Assembler (TTOAsm) and TrueType Open Disassembler (TTODasm), work together to create, modify, and validate TrueType Open (TTO) tables.
TTInfo
A cool utility for viewing the structure of TrueType font files. All tables are shown in hexadecimal format. You can view resources such as: name (Name table), head (Font header), hhea (Horizontal header), OS/2 (OS/2 and Windows metrics), maxp (Maximum profile), post (PostScript information), gasp ( Grid-fitting and scan-conversion), PCLT (PCL 5 Table), prep (Control value program), fpgm (Font program).
TTFdump
TTFDump is a command-line utility for viewing the contents of TrueType fonts. TTFDump parses and changes the contents of tables and sub-tables to make the font more readable. Exists in 16 and 32 bit versions.
This concludes our review of programs for working with fonts. I want to note that this review does not claim to be complete. New programs are added every month, the existing ones die a natural death - the authors abandon them, and for a full-fledged life of the program, development, new versions, support for new font technologies are required. However, I hope that the review will be useful to everyone who is somehow connected with the use of fonts - designers, layout designers, etc.
