![]() ![]() Notice how the active “H” and “I” look more filled compared to the inactive symbols. Here I activated the H and I, easy letters to start. ![]() Or select a symbol, and hit enter ⏎ on your keyboard. You can think of this font like a package-like a Christmas gift that contains an entire set of drawings and symbols.īecause this window shows all the contents of your font, this window is called the “Font Window”. In this case, the A is blue (selected) but is still inactive. When they are greyed out like that, the glyphs are inactive. Now you should see a bunch of glyphs or “symbols”. The glyph set can remain “Latin Simple”, or you can click and choose something else, such as “Drawing”. In the Quickstart screen, type in any name such as “My Font”. This tutorial is to help you understand how drawing works in FontLab 8, especially FontLab’s two arrow system, which when used correctly allows you to non-destructively edit letter shapes.Īlso, after this tutorial you should understand: What’s the difference between an element and a contour? Creating a Font ¶ Even if you have drawn in FontLab 6 or 7, this might be a helpful refresher. Or maybe you’ve drawn fonts in another font editor like Glyphs or Robofont. You might already be experienced in a vector illustration program. Two Minute Customizing Your Metrics Windowīenefit Feel confident, knowing how to start a font, activate glyphs, and draw into the correct containers. Merging, Separating, Overlapping Shapes: Surgery Single links and interpolate commands are interpreted in logical sequence.Importing Settings and Shortcuts into FL 8Īvoid Mistakes By Following the Basic Vector Rules.Double links are interpreted first also, except that middle delta instructions may set points that are linked by double links.Align commands are always interpreted first.FontLab automatically detects the logic of the hinting program and does intelligent sorting. Visual commands may be set in any sequence, but they are interpreted in a very specific order. ![]() There are no “diagonal” visual instructions. This command is used for the final outline correction.Īll commands are available in horizontal and vertical directions. This command works after the final interpolation of untouched points. Slightly shifts a point at a specific PPM. This command works before the final interpolation of untouched points Interpolates the position of a point between two other points Sets the distance between two points to an integer value that may be linked with a stem width Distance can be linked with one of the stem widths. Sets the position of the point relative to the position of another point. The visual hint set includes the following commands: CommandĪligns (moves) the position of the outline point to the designated position on the grid or to the edge of the alignment zone Visual hints are enough to define TrueType hints even in very complex situations and they are compiled in very compact and effective TrueType instruction code. Because these instructions can be set and edited visually we call them visual TrueType hints or just visual hints. In FontLab we use a small set of high-level hinting instructions that are automatically compiled to TrueType instructions during font export. If you change glyph’s contours the program will be dropped and the glyph will need new hinting program. FontLab cannot decompile this program to present it in some readable text format, so you cannot edit TrueType hints in the imported font. Which means glyphs have local hinting programs in the binary form. When you import a hinted OpenType-TT font, FontLab shows small blue T marks in the glyph cells: Local programs (Glyph Programs) are executed for each glyph when it is scaled. Another global program (called the PPM Program) is executed one time when the font’s PPM is changed. One global program (called the Font Program) is executed one time when the font is used for the first time. There are 3 different kinds of instructions in each TrueType font file. All the commands deal with the data stack, a temporary storage place, and the constant definitions that come with a font. The native TrueType instruction language consists of several dozen commands. In TrueType font format, almost all characters have special programs that directly control the movement of outline points at different PPM sizes. In OpenType-TT (TrueType) fonts, the hinting process is very different from the one used in OpenType-PS (Type 1) fonts. Glyph names, OT features, text, layers, color, files, UI, Python, variaĭetecting Element References or Composites Variation, imported artwork, components, auto layers, elements Metrics, kerning, Font window, Font Info, hints, guides, classes General, editing, anchors, actions, FontAudit, copy-paste ![]()
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