-
PostScript Type1
- PostScript Multiple Master
-
CID keyed fonts
-
PostSript Type2
- PostScript Type3
- PostScript Type14 (Chameleon)
- The PLRM (5.8.1) documents that this font format is
undocumented.
-
PostScript Type42
-
Adobe Feature File (fea)
- (FontForge's
implementation of this format is a superset of what
Adobe accepts, and a superset of what Adobe documents.
Neither can completely describe opentype. Adobe claims
they will update the feat spec in late 2007).
-
AFM
- PFM
-
NTF
- This format is supposed to replace the pfm files
above in windows >2000. I can't find any docs on
it.
-
BDF
- True Type Standard
(Sadly different sources have slightly different
definitions of less important parts of the standard, be
warned)
- Apple (I
find Apple's prose difficult, and sometimes misleading. I
suggest using a different source when possible)
- Microsoft
- random
useful site
-
TTC -- True Type Font Collection
- Apple
Advanced Typography extensions to TrueType
- Apple distortable font (variation tables) -- vaguely
equivalent to Multiple Master fonts for TrueType
-
fvar (font variations)
-
gvar (glyph variations)
-
cvar (cvt variations)
-
avar (axis variations)
-
OpenType (postscript
embedded in a truetype wrapper, or advanced typography
tables in a truetype wrapper)
- Open Font Format Specification (ISO/IEC
14496-22:2007)
(based on OpenType 1.4 but an international standard)
-
Apple's sfnt wrapper around a PS type1 font
- Various bitmap only sfnt
formats
- WOFF
-- Web Open Font Format, mozilla's compressed sfnt
format
-
PostScript Type42 (the opposite of opentype, it's
truetype embedded in postscript)
- SVG 1.1
fonts
- Macintosh font formats
- Windows raster font formats
- X11 pcf format
- PC
Screen Font (psf/psfu/psf2)
- TeX font formats
-
SIL Graphite Fonts (smart font extension to TrueType.
Additional tables containing rules for composing, reordering,
spacing, etc. glyphs)
- Palm pilot fonts (pdb files)
-
OpenDoc. Sadly Proprietary so I shan't support it.
-
Acorn RISC OS font format (these fonts are often zipped
up with a non-standard zip).
- Ikarus IK format is documented in Peter Karow's book
Digital Formats for Typefaces, Appendices G&I.
(copies may still be available from URW++)
Interestingly the exact format of a curve is up to the
interpretation program.
- sfd files (FontForge's
internal spline font database format)
- cidmap files (Fontforge's
format for mapping cids to unicode)
- XML formats
- TTX -- TrueType XML
- UFO &
GLIF
-- Unified font objects & Glyph Interchange
Format
Other font links
Font editor concepts
Karow, Peter, 1994, Font Technology, Description and
Tools
Karow, Peter, 1987, Digital Formats for Typefaces
Hoenig, Alan TeX Unbound: LaTeX and TeX Strategies for
Fonts, Graphics & More
Knuth, Donald, 1979, TeX and METAFONT, New Directions in
Typesetting
Interview
I was interviewed by the Open Source Publishing people at
LGM2.
There's an mp3 file of the
interview available on their site.
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