Family Building and Font Production

Producing a font family brings together decisions made throughout development. Related members need coherent names, style links, coverage, and shared properties. Their drawings and text behavior also need to be judged together, both in FontLab and in the applications where the delivered fonts will be used.

This chapter moves from organizing the family to proofing and export. Text previews, comparisons, and printed or exported specimens support design review. Completing metadata and choosing export profiles prepare the delivery files, while format-specific guidance explains what is compiled, converted, or retained. Checking the exported fonts shows whether the delivery files preserve the intended design and text behavior.

Family Building

Organize related fonts into a coherent family and check the names, coverage, and properties they should share.

From Fonts to Families

Coordinate family names and style-link roles across fonts, apply naming operations, and copy font information deliberately.

Organizing and Auditing Families

Organize family members and compare glyph coverage, designs, and metadata for inconsistencies.

Proofing

Inspect the design in text, compare related styles, and produce specimens for review.

Proofing Environments

Separate visual proofing from interoperability testing and choose suitable checks inside and outside FontLab.

Text Mode

Edit a proof passage in the Glyph window and adjust its display without changing the font’s stored metrics.

The Preview Panel

Choose proof content, compare masters and interpolated designs, and vary viewing conditions in the Preview panel.

Printing and Visual Proofs

Print specimens or export visual proofs as PDF, SVG, or images for review outside FontLab.

The Sketchboard

Arrange text-frame specimens and artwork on the Sketchboard, with attention to its document and autosave behavior.

Font Formats and Export

Complete metadata, choose output settings, export fonts, and inspect their behavior and compiled data.

Font and Metadata Formats

Recognize the roles of working, production, interchange, and metadata files in a font project.

Completing Font Metadata

Complete version, authorship, licensing, classification, coverage, and formatting metadata before delivery.

The Export Process

Prepare an export, understand which source structures are compiled or resolved, and test the resulting font installation.

Export Profiles

Configure reusable export profiles and inspect the parameters that determine how source data becomes output.

OpenType, Variable, and Web Fonts

Produce OpenType, variable, and web-font output, accounting for the chosen outline and delivery formats.

Color Fonts

Choose a color-font technology and prepare a usable monochrome fallback for applications that need it.

Interchange and Legacy Formats

Exchange sources with other editors and handle legacy formats with attention to conversion limits.

Inspecting and Repairing Fonts

Inspect custom table definitions and use external tools when compiled font data needs closer examination or repair.