Font Names and Projects

FontCreator - Font Editor FontCreator - Support
1

HI,

I am still confused as to the workflow in Font Creator 8. There seems to be no specific information on a Projects properties as you would expect and the Project seems to relate in some way to whichever font you have selected in the Project Window.

The internal font name seems to be “disconnected” from the “Project’s” “Export Font” or “Export font as” settings. For example if I open BigFont.ttf from the “project” menu and then “export font” or “export font as”, I can then save it as “GiantFont.ttf”. The internal name “BigFont” stays the same however and I suspect makes it unusable or attracts error alerts like “this font is not called whatever”.

When going to Font Properties in Identification - the font name becomes “Font Family” ? and auto generates a “Full Font Name” lower down. To change the internal name, I have to rename the “Font Family” to auto generate( recommended) the Full Font Name. Sorry but this is all a bit confusing!

A project in most apps implies that all the stuff inside is “unique” to the project with any fonts or other resources that it has. The project has a global name for this collection. If you export - it will do so to the main subject of your project and warn if you are going to overwrite or have a name change issue. So I have paulsStupidfont.project and it will always make a font called paulsStupidfont.ttf with all internal names and stuff correct. if I save as paulsStupidfontTWO.ttf it will deal with that as well.

Everything in FC8 seems carefully thought through and covered but I am finding it hard to “get it” on the methodology. ( probably just doff)!

I am trying to establish a workflow here. I have created a font and now need to make ongoing modifications and tweaks to it, BUT:
I don’t want to lose my previous active, installed version or overwrite some unique original resource and I don’t want to have to keep calling it something else.

Anyone explain how this workflow might go?

Thanks for any insight
Paul

2
  1. Open “Big Font.ttf” for editing
  2. Rename the Font Properties family to “Giant Font”
  3. Save it as “Giant Font.fcp” font project
  4. Export it to “Giant Font.ttf” or “Giant Font.otf” (recommended if you wish to include OpenType feaures).
  5. Don’t do anything to “Big Font.ttf” and don’t overwrite it. Always open the FontCreator “Giant Font.fcp” project file, and not the “Giant Font.ttf” or “Giant Font.otf”. The project file contains guidelines, grid settings, notes, etc. that are unique for each font project.
  6. Change the Font Revision number in Font Properties if you update your font after the initial public release, e.g. to add more glyphs or fix bugs. If the initial release is 1.00 then you add some more glyphs, that’s 1.10, then as you fix a few bugs, that could be 1.11, 1.12, etc. Add some more glyphs, and revise the version to 1.20 etc. Font users just want one font family “Giant Font Regular,” “Giant Font Bold,” etc. The revision number doesn’t change the font name, but indicates which is the most recent version.
  7. Uninstall “Giant Font.otf” before exporting a more recently revised version, and then install the new version. Rebooting may sometimes be required in my experience.
  8. Backup “Giant Font.fcp” but don’t worry about backing up “Giant Font.otf” unless you want to retain the old versions. The project file can always be used to regenerate the TrueType or OpenType font file (or the Web Font version “Giant Font.woff”).
3

If your font, “Giant Font” has more than one font subfamily, then you will need to add that to the exported filename to avoid overwriting one style with another.

I recommend naming the exported fonts as “Giant Font Regular.ttf” (or *.otf as appropriate), “Giant Font Bold.ttf”, “Giant Font Italic,ttf” and “Giant Font Bold Italic.ttf”. Some fonts may have more subfamilies. Windows needs a TTF for each subfamily.
Kabala Font Subfamilies.png

4

You are a star Bhikkhu thank you this is just so spot on

Paul

5

Hi,

Getting there - One oddity - if I increment the Revision to 1.500 this shows in the autogenerate fields but after exporting a ttf this revision version does not show up in a font preview, even though the time stamp indicates it is a new ttf file export?

Missing something?

Paul

6

Even if you open the revised font from Explorer using Windows Font Viewer, what it shows you is the installed version, not the version that you think you are previewing. Uninstall the font first, and it should work as expected.

I use MainType to preview, uninstall, and install fonts.

7

Exactly and now I know why - thank you. Yes once I installed the revision it shows up as the correct version

Lovely. Thank you again Bhikkhu

Paul