Font Tools

FontLab Products:

www.fontlab.com

SigMaker

PC & Mac $9.95-$44.95. Download Demo

Sigmaker autotraces signatures, symbols or other bitmaps and converts them into vector  glyphs. It then adds these glyphs to any TrueType font and allows the user to select a keystroke for it. The new glyph can then be typed like any other.

ScanFont

PC & Mac $99.00. Download Demo

ScanFont takes bitmap images such as photos, scanned handwriting samples, clipart, etc.; removes the background; separates the characters; autotraces the glyphs into vector characters; and exports them into a font. It is a plugin for (requires) TypeTool or FontLab Studio font editors.

TypeTool

PC & Mac $99.00. Download Demo

TypeTool is a basic font editor for small font manipulation jobs. It can import and export TrueType, Type 1, and OpenType fonts. It has extensive glyph drawing and editing tools and manual and automatic kerning capabilities.

WebReady

PC & Mac $79.95. Download Demo

Don’t let yourself be restricted to generic fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, etc. on your website. WebReady creates web headlines in your choice of font - Photofont, TrueType, Type 1 or OpenType. The user sees your headlines in the type you want, yet the text remains computer-readable for search engines, indexing, copy/paste, etc.

TransType

PC & Mac $97 - $179. Download Demo

TransType is the most advanced font format convertor for TrueType, Type 1, OpenType, Macintosh and Windows fonts. You can convert to and from both platforms and formats, including multiple master fonts.

Fontographer

PC & Mac $349 - $499. Download Demo

Fontographer is a classic font editor intended for use by publishers and designers who need powerful typographic tools in an easy-to-use package. Easily expand existing fonts to include fractions, symbols, foreign characters, and logos in Type 1, Type 3, and TrueType fonts, or create an entire typeface from scratch.

FontLab Studio

PC & Mac $99 - $499. Download Demo

FontLab Studio is a professional font editor for advanced typography. It can import and export TrueType, Type 1, and OpenType fonts. It has extensive glyph drawing and editing tools, advanced metrics, Multiple Master and font transformation features. A font manipulation macro language is included, as is an OpenType feature editor. FontLab supports virtually all font encodings and codepages and can import/export fonts with up to 6400 characters.

BitFonter

PC & Mac $99 - $499. Download Demo

BitFonter is a full-featured bitmap font editor. It can import and export virtually any format bitmap font and can convert vector fonts into bitmap fonts. With BitFonter you can do almost anything with bitmap fonts. You can design, edit or color them. You can apply special effects. And of course you can embed your bitmap fonts into TrueType or OpenType fonts with the help of FontLab Studio.

twardoch.com | Adam Twardoch

http://www.twardoch.com/

By Adam Twardoch

Here you can download Adam Twardoch’s texts and slides. Note that texts and images are copyrighted by Adam Twardoch and the respective authors/copyright holders.

Typographic extensions for UltraEdit-32 allow syntax coloring for OpenType Layout feature definitions in FontLab-compatible AFDKO/FEA syntax and for TTX files. Freeware.

Fontstruct

http://fontstruct.fontshop.com

Web. FREE

by FontShop

FontStruct is a free font-building tool brought to you by the world’s leading retailer of digital type, FontShop.

FontStruct lets you quickly and easily create fonts constructed out of geometrical shapes, which are arranged in a grid pattern, like tiles or bricks.

You can also use the FontStruct widget to show your FontStructions on your own website or blog.

Advanced Font Catalog

http://www.wizetech.com/afc/

PC. $30

by Wizetech Software

Advanced Font Catalog is an easy to use tool with an explorer-like interface which allows you to catalog the drives with font files: hard drives (including network drives), CD-ROMs,...

Organize volumes, font files and folders into categories.

Add comments to each font file, folder and disk.

Search for font files using the file or font name, copyright, style name or your own comments, limiting the search results by category.

Advanced Font Viewer

http://www.styopkin.com/details_advanced_fonts_viewer.html

PC. $80

by Alexander Styopkin

Advanced Font Viewer is a comprehensive application, which is ideal for viewing, printing and managing your fonts.

You will be able to simultaneously view all fonts installed, view previously uninstalled fonts and install them, print list with type specimens, and uninstall unused fonts.

The simple user interface is designed to guarantee quick access to the tools. There are many customization features as well. Many options can be customized to suit your preferences.

MainType

http://www.high-logic.com/maintype.html

PC. $50

by High Logic

MainType is a powerful font manager for Windows that offers a straightforward and easy-to-use interface to help you maintain your fonts.

It includes features for novice users who just want to view and install fonts as well as advanced features for graphic designers and typographers. In order to find the right fonts for your needs, the software includes filter and sort functionality as well as a font information pane that reveals important typographic data. The groups pane helps you quickly organize your font collection.

OT1 Font Manager

http://www.ot1fontmanager.com/en/

PC. $40

by JMBerthier

OpenType, TrueType and Type 1 Font Management (except Multiple Master).

List, print or inventory the font families scattered in your machine, with all variants, whether installed or not installed.

Detect and correct font installation problems.

Optimize your machine and your efficiency by using font groups taylored to different needs.

FontExpert

http://www.proximasoftware.com/fontexpert/

PC. $60

by Proxima Software

FontExpert enables you to preview and manage both installed and uninstalled typefaces, plus examine your system for font errors.

You can display the list of installed font faces, customizable font samples and advanced font properties.

The program allows you to print different types of reports, and offers many printing options.

Cfont Pro

http://www.cfontpro.com/

PC. Freeware

by Veign

Quickly view all fonts currently loaded on your system.

Users are able to quickly scroll through each font getting a custom preview of their choice (backcolor, text color, and text displayed).

Also, be able to view and install fonts from any directory, CD, or folder.

Use the Slideshow feature to cycle through the fonts, displaying a preview, with no user intervention.

FontExplorer X

http://www.linotype.com/fontexplorer

Mac. Freeware

by Linotype

FontExplorer X sets a new standard for font management software. Font management, font sorting, font shopping and font discovery are simple and fun !

FontExplorer X gives computer users all the functionality they ever dreamed, easy to use with an elegant style.

http://redsparkstudios.co.uk/fontomatic.htm

Fontomatic

PC. Freeware

by red spark studios

Fontomatic is a freeware fonts tool for adding and removing fonts from Windows quickly, easily and in batches. Windows loads all fonts at startup and so it is important to optimise your PC by removing these fonts by copying them to a seperate directory and adding them only when needed. This is one of the main benefits of fontomatic - it allows you to add directories of font files really quickly.

The Font Thing

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~scef/tft.html

PC. Freeware

by Sue Fisher

Displays all fonts on your computer, installed or not. You can compare them with your own text, display the full character set with the corresponding code.

You can create groups of fonts, install or uninstall fonts or groups of fonts at once in the Fonts folder.

FontForge

http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/

PC Mac Linux. Freeware

by George Williams

An outline font editor that lets you create your own postscript, truetype, opentype, cid-keyed, multi-master, cff, svg and bitmap (bdf, FON, NFNT) fonts, or edit existing ones. Also lets you convert one format to another. FontForge has support for many macintosh font formats.

True Font Family

http://www.truefontfamily.com/

PC Mac Linux. Freeware

by Remon Lammers

True Font Family is a script in order to use True Type web fonts as if they were supported by current browsers. This means, you can use any font on the Internet using standard CSS without any kind of manual work. Just install it once and start using your .ttf font files. It will save a lot of time and offer new possibilities.

Also available : professional version $27 (best compatibility, flexibility and security)

FontDoctor

http://www.morrisonsoftdesign.com/with_fl/index-1.html

PC Mac. $70

by Morrison SoftDesign

FontDoctor is a powerful font problem diagnosis and repair tool.

It will scan font folders (on local hard drives or over a network) to locate and repair common font illnesses, including missing Postscript fonts, missing bitmaps, corrupt/damaged fonts, mixed fonts types, and lots more.

FontTwister

http://www.neuber.com/twister/

PC. $40

by Neuber GbR

FontTwister lets you create impressive text effects for web pages, illustration, multimedia projects and presentations in seconds. Add glows, bevels, embossing, transparency, texture, edges, soft shadows and blurs to your text or apply one of the dozens of built-in styles.

Unziplify

http://www.silverbandsoftware.com/tabdown/unziplify/

PC. Freeware

by TabDown Enterprises

Unziplify provides an easy one-click method of extracting an entire folder full of ZIP, RAR, and ACE files. Simply right-click on a folder and select "Unziplify".

Every archive found in that folder will be extracted at once. I'ts the most painless way to extract archives yet.

Font Xplorer

http://www.moonsoftware.com/fxplorer.asp

Need to find a perfect font for best friend's birthday card? Want to get a detailed overview of all the fonts installed on your system? Or find that font installation in Windows is too difficult for you? Want to print professionally designed sample sheets listing all your fonts? Font Xplorer comes to the rescue. Designed for both beginners and professionals, this new font tool should find a place in every computer.

Some features:

• Browse both installed fonts and not installed fonts from disk. See what each font looks like, so it's very easy to compare fonts
• Special user text compare mode allows you to find the perfect font in seconds
• Load, install, unload, uninstall, manage fonts
• Print pre-designed, professional sample sheets and font listings
• Save bitmap images of fonts
• Search for duplicate fonts, CRC check
• Rename font files to use a font's full name with undo support (from arialbi.ttf to Arial Bold Italic.ttf)
• Comprehensive font info is available (full name, copyright, embedding info, available character sets etc.)
• Advanced, resizable character map that shows all a font's scripts and allows you to zoom in on any character. You can even copy a symbol to the clipboard as vector image or rich text
• View extended font metrics information
• View the installation status of fonts to instantly determine if that font is already installed
• Filter fonts by character set, so you only see symbol fonts for example
• Mark fonts and optionally view only marked fonts "
• Integrated Repair Wizard solves most common problems with font
• Extensive support for calling external programs, support for different variables in callable command lines
• Fully customizable toolbars and menus with Office 2000 look & feel. Mix menus and toolbar buttons, create new toolbars, reposition them etc.
• And much more for you to discover...