FontForge

{{short description|Font editor created by George Williams}}

{{primary sources|date=June 2012}}

{{Infobox software

| logo = FontForge Logo, 2015.svg

| screenshot = FontForge 20200314 screenshot.png

| caption = FontForge running under Arch Linux

| author = George Williams

| developer = Frank Trampe, Ben Martin, Adrien Tétar, Khaled Hosny, Jeremy Tan

| released = {{release date and age|2004|04|01}}

| latest release version = 20230101{{cite web|url=https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge/releases|title=Releases · fontforge/fontforge · GitHub|website=GitHub|publisher=frank-trampe|access-date=2023-08-06|archive-date=2023-06-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630162441/https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge/releases|url-status=live}}

| latest release date = {{release date and age|2023|01|01}}

| programming language = C

| genre = Font editor

| license = Mix of GNU General Public License v3 and BSD license

| website = {{URL|fontforge.org}}

}}

FontForge is a FOSS font editor which supports many common font formats. Developed primarily by George Williams until 2012, FontForge is free software and is distributed under a mix of the GNU General Public License Version 3 and the 3-clause BSD license.{{cite web|url=https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge/blob/master/LICENSE|title=fontforge/LICENSE at master · fontforge/fontforge · GitHub|author=fontforge|work=GitHub|date=8 October 2021|access-date=27 February 2015|archive-date=16 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216032945/https://github.com/fontforge/fontforge/blob/master/LICENSE|url-status=live}} It is available for operating systems including Linux, Windows,{{cite book|author1=Gurdy Leete|author2=Mary Leete|title=Microsoft Expression Blend Bible|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G07N-hlycAgC|access-date=6 August 2012|date=12 June 2007|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-05503-8|page=295|archive-date=28 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228003108/https://books.google.com/books?id=G07N-hlycAgC|url-status=live}} and macOS,{{Cite book| edition = 1| publisher = Apress| isbn = 978-1430218876| last = James| first = Daniel| title = Crafting Digital Media: Audacity, Blender, Drupal, GIMP, Scribus, and other Open Source Tools| url = https://archive.org/details/craftingdigitalm00jame_711| url-access = limited| location = Berkeley, CA| date = 2009-12-04| page=[https://archive.org/details/craftingdigitalm00jame_711/page/n126 114]}} and is localized into 12 languages.{{which|date=February 2022}}{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}

To facilitate automated format conversion and other repetitive tasks, FontForge implements two scripting languages: its own language and Python.{{cite web |url=http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/scripting.html |title=Writing scripts to change fonts in FontForge |publisher=Fontforge.sourceforge.net |access-date=2009-11-09 |archive-date=2004-07-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040721020430/http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/scripting.html |url-status=live }} FontForge can run scripts from its GUI, from the command line, and also offers its features as a Python module, so it can be integrated into any Python program.{{cite web |url=http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/python.html |title=Writing python scripts to change fonts in FontForge |publisher=Fontforge.sourceforge.net |access-date=2009-11-09 |archive-date=2009-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091202074357/http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/python.html |url-status=dead }}

FontForge supports Adobe's OpenType feature file specification (with its own extensions to the syntax).{{cite web |url=http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/featurefile.html |title=FontForge's implementation of Adobe's Feature File syntax |publisher=Fontforge.sourceforge.net |access-date=2009-11-09 |archive-date=2009-04-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416003720/http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/featurefile.html |url-status=dead }} It also supports the unofficial Microsoft mathematical typesetting extensions (MATH table){{cite web |url=http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/math.html |title=MATH typesetting information |publisher=Fontforge.sourceforge.net |date=2007-08-04 |access-date=2009-11-09 |archive-date=2007-08-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828063228/http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/math.html |url-status=live }} introduced for Cambria Math and supported by Office 2007, XeTeX and LuaTeX. At least one free OpenType mathematical font has been developed in FontForge.

FontForge uses FreeType for rendering fonts on screen.{{cite web |url=http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/source-build.html#Dependencies |title=Building FontForge from source |publisher=Fontforge.sourceforge.net |access-date=2009-11-09 |archive-date=2009-12-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207090905/http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/source-build.html#Dependencies |url-status=dead }} Since the November 15, 2008 release, FontForge uses libcairo and libpango software libraries for graphics and text rendering,{{cite web |url=http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/changelog.html |title=Change log for FontForge |publisher=Fontforge.sourceforge.net |access-date=2009-11-09 |archive-date=2009-07-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090723010100/http://fontforge.sourceforge.net/changelog.html |url-status=dead }} providing anti-aliased graphics and complex text layout support.

FontForge can use Potrace or AutoTrace to auto trace bitmap images and import them into a font.

Parts of FontForge's code are used by the LuaTeX typesetting engine for reading and parsing OpenType fonts.{{cite web |url=http://www.luatex.org/talks/tug2008-taco-luatex.pdf |title=LuaTeX — Taco Hoekwater, July 24, TUG 2008 |access-date=2009-11-09 |archive-date=2010-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717030349/http://www.luatex.org/talks/tug2008-taco-luatex.pdf |url-status=live }}

The FontForge source code includes a number of utility programs, including 'showttf', which shows the contents of binary font files, and a WOFF converter and deconverter.