[FIXED] Cannot export TTF font with proper hinting

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carpincho
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[FIXED] Cannot export TTF font with proper hinting

Post by carpincho »

I’m considering switching to FontCreator from another software, and I’m working with a trial version for now.

I cannot set up proper hinting in TTF fonts I try to export: no matter what settings I make, the glyphs look jagged and shaggy (see examples below).

I began with the default settings:

Image

Then I went over all these settings as well as export parameters:

Image

But nothing’s working. In the example below, I use Calibri font, but please rest assured I’m not going to use or distribute its modification. I use this font for illustrative purposes only, because it is well-known and you can verify my issue independently.

This is how the regular untouched Calibri font at 10pt looks in the regular Microsoft Word 365:

Image

This is what happens when I open Calibri in FontCreator, don’t change anything at all, and export it back with the default settings. The glyphs got broken obviously compared to the previous image (look at a’s, for instance):

Image

Completely removing the gasp table doesn’t help, too:

Image

And finally, some parameter combinations lead to even more weird things. Just one example, with ClearType set to Smoothing and no other checkboxes set:

Image

I’m aware there should be different gasp entries for different font sizes, but I want to fix at least one size (namely, 10pt) for now. What am I doing wrong and how to export a font with the proper hinting?
Erwin Denissen
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Re: Cannot export TTF font with proper hinting

Post by Erwin Denissen »

Calibri has been hand-hinted by an experienced type designer and it took months to get that astonishing result. FontCreator currently has no interface to manually edit hints; it either uses the existing ones from the source font file, or you can let is use an auto-hinter.

That said, there is a bug in FontCreator 14 that causes incorrect values for several hinting related properties. That is why the exports fail to provide the original hints. We have an update that should solve the problem:

https://www.high-logic.com/tmp/fontcrea ... 03-x64.exe

The update will only work if you reopen the original font file. Let us know your results.
Erwin Denissen
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carpincho
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Re: Cannot export TTF font with proper hinting

Post by carpincho »

Erwin Denissen wrote: Thu Jul 08, 2021 5:20 pmhttps://www.high-logic.com/tmp/fontcrea ... 03-x64.exe
The update will only work if you reopen the original font file. Let us know your results.
Thank you Erwin, the update did the trick for me.

To be honest, I was nevertheless frustrated to learn two things:

First, it turned out that, by the 14th version, FontCreator doesn’t allow for manually editing hints yet. I hesitate to ask this, but how are people supposed to develop fonts without hand-hinting where needed?

Second, I still prefer to stay away from the software that does unpredictably destructive editing. I wanted to fix just one record in a GSUB table, but this resulted in losing the original hinting that has no bearing on GSUB data. I just don’t know what to expect next: maybe if I try to assign a code point to an unmapped glyph, this will change the glyph’s contours? Or maybe if I fill out font’s legal fields, all vertical metrics will become suddenly recalculated?

Hate to break it to you Erwin, but I’ll definitely keep looking for a more reliable font editor. But thank you anyway for the patch.
Bhikkhu Pesala
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Re: Cannot export TTF font with proper hinting

Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

carpincho wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:09 amFirst, it turned out that, by the 14th version, FontCreator doesn’t allow for manually editing hints yet. I hesitate to ask this, but how are people supposed to develop fonts without hand-hinting where needed?
Which font editing tool have you used before that allows for manual editing of hints? If you have FontLab or a similar program that allows for manual hinting, why are you looking for another program?

Those very few FontCreator users who need manual hinting can always use VTT. I don't think there is sufficient demand for this to justify the cost of programming it into FontCreator. Erwin is the sole developer.

Over the years he has added support for Colour Fonts, OpenType Features, Anchor-based composites, and now Variable fonts.

If you find a program that does all this for $200, let us know. FontLab 7 is $459.
My FontsReviews: MainTypeFont CreatorHelpFC15 + MT12.0 @ Win 10 64-bit build 19045.2486
Erwin Denissen
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Re: Cannot export TTF font with proper hinting

Post by Erwin Denissen »

carpincho wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:09 am Thank you Erwin, the update did the trick for me.
That is good to know!
carpincho wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 2:09 am Second, I still prefer to stay away from the software that does unpredictably destructive editing. I wanted to fix just one record in a GSUB table, but this resulted in losing the original hinting that has no bearing on GSUB data. I just don’t know what to expect next: maybe if I try to assign a code point to an unmapped glyph, this will change the glyph’s contours? Or maybe if I fill out font’s legal fields, all vertical metrics will become suddenly recalculated?

Hate to break it to you Erwin, but I’ll definitely keep looking for a more reliable font editor. But thank you anyway for the patch.
I totally understand your frustration, and I am really sorry for the inconvenience.

I am sure other font editors can help you with your specific task, although I am not sure if they preserve hinting.

Do visit the forum of competing font software vendors, and you will notice many issues and complaints. Besides FontCreator is the only font editor that preserves all OpenType layout features, which is especially important with complex script fonts, but for a basic Latin based font any professional font editor will do.

In this industry, we all do our best to make useful and solid software. I appreciate the fact you brought this issue to our attention, which allowed us to fix it.
Erwin Denissen
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carpincho
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Re: Cannot export TTF font with proper hinting

Post by carpincho »

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 7:07 amOver the years he has added support for Colour Fonts, OpenType Features, Anchor-based composites, and now Variable fonts. If you find a program that does all this for $200, let us know. FontLab 7 is $459.
I hold FontCreator in very high regard, but non-invasive and non-destructive editing is top priority in my line of work. For instance, when I’m about to add just a single record into an existing lookup table (or remove a single record from it), I need to be sure that not a single byte of the rest of the font file will change.

FontLab coupled with OTMaster meets all my demands, but this solution is indeed a bit expensive while providing tons of other features I don’t need. Another option is the free FontForge + fonttools + hours of extensive programming. I’ve confirmed I’m basically able to work this way, but it is no fun at all, and I don’t want to do the job when it’s no fun.

That’s why I’m looking for a better solution and evaluating FontCreator in particular.
Erwin Denissen
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Re: Cannot export TTF font with proper hinting

Post by Erwin Denissen »

carpincho wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 1:25 pm I hold FontCreator in very high regard, but non-invasive and non-destructive editing is top priority in my line of work. For instance, when I’m about to add just a single record into an existing lookup table (or remove a single record from it), I need to be sure that not a single byte of the rest of the font file will change.
The font binary will always be changed, mainly because FontCreator has exceptional high compression while retaining all data.
Erwin Denissen
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