Font Tools

CharInfo Utility from Agfa Monotype

What is it? CharInfo is a handy "quick-reference" guide to characters in The Unicode Standard. It consolidates information from several Unicode Character Database files, and provides example glyph shapes for many of those characters. It's like a condensed electronic version of the Unicode Book!

So it's some kind of font viewer? NO! CharInfo is not a font viewer. It's "font-independent" - it uses its own built-in font to display the character shapes. It does not require you to obtain any special fonts to run, there's no configuration, and it's FREE!

http://www.agfamonotype.com/isv/charinfo.asp

Visual OpenType Layout Tool

The Microsoft Visual OpenType Layout Tool "VOLT" provides an easy-to-use graphical user interface to add OpenType layout tables to fonts with TrueType outlines. It is licensed free and can be downloaded from the online community set up for it. The community hosts an active discussion forum, version history information, a wish-list and VOLT related downloads. Links to VOLT's release notes as well as tips and tutorials are also posted below.

VOLT supports a wide range of substitution and positioning types. It also contains a proofing tool that helps see the result of applying layout table lookups. It allows import and export of glyph names, lookups, glyph groups and a full project.

The tool has been used by community members to add OpenType layout tables to various fonts supporting scripts including Arabic (Naskh and Nastaliq writing styles), Bengali, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Greek, Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, Latin, Sinhala, Syriac, Telugu, and Thaana.

http://www.microsoft.com/typography/developers/volt/

Font properties editor

Microsoft's free Font properties extension lets Windows users learn more about their fonts. The extension provides access to text entries stored within TrueType and OpenType TM fonts. Because type designers can not easily edit these entries we have created the font properties editor.

http://www.microsoft.com/typography/property/fpedit.htm

CrossFont

CrossFont for Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000 and XP can convert TrueType and PostScript Type1 fonts between Macintosh and PC platforms.

Features:

• Convert PostScript Type 1 fonts between Windows PC and Macintosh.
• Convert TrueType fonts between Windows PC and Macintosh.
• Generate missing supporting font files (AFM, PFM, INF, PFA, etc.).
• Supports OS X data fork fonts (.dfont).
• Character outlines, metrics and hinting are preserved.
• Drop font files and folders onto main window for easy recognition.
• Automatically determines font file types.
• Automatically searches folders and subfolders for supported file types.
• Automatically assigns kerning if it exists. Right click menu for fast operation.
• Recognizes files from Mac file systems on NT (SFM Services for Macintosh).
• Registered version can create font families with up to four styles (normal, bold, italic, bold-itaic).
• Registered version can batch convert to many file types at once.

http://www.asy.com/scrcf.htm

X-Fonter 4.1

X-Fonter is a user friendly Font Manager and Font viewer.

It also allows you to make nice 3D Graphics that you can use for your webpages, emails and much more...

• Supports TrueType, OpenType, Postscript Type 1, Raster and Vector Fonts
• Preview Fonts without installation
• Install or uninstall any TrueType Fonts
• Search for fonts on any drive/directory
• Network support included
• Font Filtering by Font Family, Codepages and Font Style
• Adjustable Colors, Styles and Sizes
• View Fonts in 3D mode
• Character map (ASCII and Unicode)
• Basic Image editor built in (with cropping)
• JPG output supported for 3D graphics
• Most settings are saved and reused in next session
• Very simple and intuitive interface
• No extra DLL's required
• Uninstall option
• Compare fonts in Dual pane
• Print font overview

http://users.pandora.be/eclypse/

FontLab

FontLab Features:

• Glyph Editor - Works with Type 1 and TrueType outlines, previews anti-aliased fills and outlines, has industry-standard drawing tools including the innovative Sketch mode, supports open paths, converts from strokes to outlines, can automatically generate parallel paths and more.
• Multiple Masters - Make your own multiple master fonts with up to 4 axes.
• Extrapolate fonts beyond original limits
• TrueType & Type 1 Hinting - Add hints manually or automatically for beautiful screen and low-res fonts.
• VectorPaint Tools - Perform paint operations in a vector environment, with 8 tools and shaped brush strokes
• FontAudit Technology - Automatically checks your glyph outline while you edit it
• Font Metrics and Kerning - Professional metrics and kerning editor with automatic functions and full support for Multiple Master fonts.
• Transformations - Applicable to the whole font or to selected characters.
• Metrics tranformations new in v4.6.
• Unicode - Full support for Unicode encodings with multiple codepages and optional font reencoding
• Font Header Editor - Access to all font properties, from names to supported codepages to TrueType-specific font metrics.
• OpenType Support - Import, create, edit, export and convert OpenType fonts (TrueType or CFF-flavoured). Decompile font features to easy-to-read editable format.
• Macro Language - A Python script interpreter inside FontLab lets you extend FontLab features infinitely. Make your own tools and plugins! Browse to the Python Page for details and demos.
• Customizable User Interface - from menus and keyboard shortcuts to the pictures on toolbar buttons - change the FontLab GUI to fit your needs
• Double-byte Codepages - for Chinese, Japanese and Korean fonts
• Create Arabic and Hebrew Fonts - right-to-left writing is supported in all panels and in the Metrics editor
• Blended fonts - take any two fonts and create a multiple master-like axis where you can choose to create an instance from any blend of the two.

http://www.fontlab.com/html/fontlab.html

TypeTool 2

TypeTool Features:

• Make new fonts
• Automatically or manually hint and kern your fonts
• Add ligatures, old style figures, fractions, currency symbols, correct em dashes, apostrophes, quotation marks and foreign characters to your fonts
• Make your own dingbat or clipart fonts
• Make font variations with the new transformation tools
• Print font reference tables
• Rearrange and rename your font's characters
• Make custom end-of-story markers for your newsletter
• Convert fonts between Adobe Type 1 and TrueType formats
• Edit fonts with up to 65,000 glyphs with support for 2-byte encodings
• Special Font Map window for large fonts.

New in TypeTool 2:

• Knife tool - slice and dice your contours, even leave open ends.
• Magic wand - select only the segments you want.
• Shaped brushes - no more boring brush strokes! Choose from a variety of different shapes.
• VectorPaint tools - paint like a bitmap but create vector outlines.
• New metrics window - easier to navigate, faster to use.
• Expanded encodings and Unicode codepages - covering virtually every language in the world.

http://www.fontlab.com/html/typetool.html

BitFonter

With BitFonter you can do almost anything with bitmap fonts. You can convert them between formats - even vector formats like Type 1. 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 4.x or AsiaFont Studio 4.x.

BitFonter Features:

• Font projects - organize fonts into projects for easier management
• Bitmap font conversion - convert from any supported format to any other.
• Support for bitmap TrueType fonts - with full Unicode and optional grayscale support. For Mac and Windows.
• Professional image editing tools, transformations and filters - from Pencil to Gaussian blur.
• PhotoFont ® technology - create full-color fonts with transparency and use them on any Web page or in Photoshop ®
• Rasterization of outline fonts to bitmaps - create sample versions of your TrueType or Type 1 fonts and distribute them without risk over the Net.
• Convert bitmap to outline fonts - convert scanned images or digital photographs into outline fonts in minutes (requires FontLab or TypeTool installed on the same computer).
• Unicode support - multiple codepages and encodings, support for very big fonts.

http://www.fontlab.com/html/bitfonter.html

AsianFont Studio 4

AsiaFont Studio is the only commercially available two-byte font editor - for large Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Unicode fonts. It can handle fonts with up to 65,536 characters!

AsiaFont Studio 4 Features

• Make OpenType fonts with 65000+ glyphs with access to 100,000+ Unicode characters including the private use area and supplementary plane
• Import and convert CID-keyed fonts into DBCS TrueType format
• Import TTC font collections
• Manually or automatically hint your fonts
• Import/export fonts in TrueType or Type 1 format
• Encode your fonts a hundred different ways
• Draw new characters quickly and easily with VectorPaint tools
• Import, edit and build your fonts in OpenType font format
• Use Python macro system to make custom font tools
• Use Asian glyph edit interface template
• Access many characters with IME input (works with Windows 2000 or Windows XP)

http://www.fontlab.com/html/asiafontstudio.html

The Font Creator Program

With this application you can create and edit TrueType font files. Features include the ability to convert (scanned) bitmaps (.bmp files) to TrueType outlines, thus enabling you to create your own signature, logo and handwriting.

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

You can download the Font Creator Program freely and try it out before you buy it. However, after using the software for a trial period, you must register and pay for it, or remove it from your system.

Typograph

Display all OpenType, TrueType and Type 1 fonts on hard disks, DVD, CD, opticals, floppies or particular folders including all sub folders. Sorts viewed fonts by name, file, family, copyright, width, date, size.

http://www.neuber.com/typograph/

You can try it out for free for 30 days.

Font Preview

A simple easy to use font utility that allows you to categorize your fonts in custom categories and see a line of text displayed in various typefaces (according to the category selected).

http://www.weddingsoft.com/font/font.html

Now - FREE, but no support to Font Preview.