Font Forum

I am looking at a font file inside Font Creator that includes glyphs that have a .alt in their name. The .alt glyphs also have non .alt versions, like for example comma, then comma.alt1, then comma.alt2. How are these used? I do not use Adobe Illustrator, so I am thinking that maybe this is something that AI can use.

I want the font I am creating to allow the user to choose to use different looking punctuation. Right now I am thinking of distributing the font with numbers after the font name, like Timza 1, Timza 2, Timza 3, for where the font letters would look the same but the punctuation would look different, based on the number after the font. If I have four files for normal, italic, bold, and italic bold, then I will need users to install four more files for each punctuation set they would want to have. I am wondering if this could be done with less installation files.

I did see a thread that showed where someone could make several different handwritten O's that each have an .alt# that then would be rotated through as the letters were used. Pretty neat, but I am not wanting to use different looking punctuation in one font. Once you choose what punctuation set you want, then you always see that version of the comma.

Thank you.

Alternative glyphs are accessed by using OpenType Features. Typically, one will use Stylistic Alternates (salt) for what you want to do. Having chosen the stylistic set once, the user just types normally, and all other text uses the matching glyphs.

Gabriola is a standard font installed with Windows 7, which has several alternate sets for Swashes.

My own fonts use Stylistic Sets in an unorthodox way to access miscellaneous symbols and dingbats.

Pali Typeface Sample

To have access to OpenType features, users will need to use an application that supports them. Serif PagePlus or DrawPlus are low-priced alternatives to InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, PhotoShop, or Word 2010 (or later).

Thank you. Helps me a lot. I am going to have four punctuation styles, with each having normal, italic, bold, and italic bold, so I will have sixteen files.

Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my!

Tim.

timza wrote:I am going to have four punctuation styles, with each having normal, italic, bold, and italic bold, so I will have sixteen files.

No, you will have four files (for normal, bold, italic and bold italic) with four stylistic alternates or stylistic sets in each one.