Naming Convention so Variable Fonts coexist with Instances?

[outofstepfontco]

Hi
I am working through my first real variable font offering and having issues working out the convention for naming to prevent the following problem:

1. When using a variable font in a piece of software, the variation sliders disappear.
2. The issue occurs when the slider values match an installed instance.

I am seeking a solution with the following constraints:

1. The user cannot be prevented from installing both fixed instances, and the variable font.
2. The variable font must be stored in the same FontCreator .fcp file as the individual instances.
3. Within the user's program, all Instances must be contained in the font's submenu, not displayed as unique fonts.

Here is my solution, which seems a bit ridiculous:

1. First, set the Additional Naming Fields as follows, to ensure the all instances are grouped into a single font sub-menu in the user's desktop application:
   1. Typographic Family Name: "Font Name"
   2. Typographic Subfamily Name: "Instance Name"
   3. Style Map Family Name: "Font Name Instance Name"
   4. Style Map Style Name: "Regular"
   5. Full Font Name: "Font Name + Instance Name"
   6. Unique Font Identifier: "Font Name + Instance Name": Version Number
   7. PostScript Name: "FontName-InstanceName"
2. Create a new Instance, a duplicate of your Default instance. Name it "Font Name Variable". Make sure it is set to "Include in Export"
3. Unclick the box for "Include in Export" in the original Default instance.
4. Now switch to the Font tab in Font Properties
5. Add " Variable" to the end of the Family Name, under General
6. Go back to Export Font As > Desktop, but this time choose "Variable Font"
7. Return to the Font tab in Font Properties, and reset the name of the font back to the original name.

The end result is TWO listings for your font in the user's desktop application: a "Font Name Variable" version, with a complete sub-menu of instances, and no issues with sliders being deactivated, and a normal "Font Name" version, all with fixed instances listed in a single sub-menu of the font. Also, it's very strange, but the in the variable font, the "Typographic Family Name" is ignored in favour of the "Family Name" from the Font Properties > Font > General area.

Ultimately, it's a workaround for a process that we all will need. This is the only solution I could come up with. Please let me know if you have been able to find a better one.

[Erwin Denissen]

Not all software fully supports variable fonts, and the conflicts you're describing can occur. Installing both a variable font and its static variants is fairly common, but as you've experienced, it can sometimes lead to issues.

That said, your naming approach appears to follow proper conventions, so I don’t think you need to rely on complex workarounds for software that isn’t behaving as expected. Instead, I recommend reaching out to the developers of the software in question and asking them to address this issue on their side. Improving their support for variable fonts would benefit many users and save you from having to implement unnecessary tricks.