Glyphs vs Robofont

Raphael ZwyerRaphael Zwyer Posts: 3
edited February 2017 in Type Design Software

Any of you pro colleagues have any experiences/opinions you'd be willing to share?

I'm working on a new font right now. FontForge is a great free and open source option but I'm getting increasingly frustrated with its bugs, limitations and instabilities. I just started free trials for both, RoboFont and Glyphs, but I was hoping to save some valuable time and avoid some pitfalls by learning some insights from other pro RF and Glyphs users.
Any thoughts and suggestions are welcome!
Below a couple things I'd be most interested to learn more about.

  • Scanning/importing hand-drawn sketches
  • Drawing-from-scratch experience (curves, smoothening, comparing, batch changes...)? 
  • Import/export options
  • Ease of setting up custom and standard charsets 
  • Metrics/Kerning/Spacing (user-friendly metrics window, options for exceptions/pairing, lookups and group kerning) 
  • Grids, snaps, smoothening options
  • Tweaking and additional styles (groups and batches)
  • Interpolation features 
  • Validation features and from there quick, font-wide and/or group fixing options
  • Type format options (exporting/saving)
  • Retina-friendlyness 
  • Speed and stability
  • General limitations/advantages
  • Extensions/add-ons
  • Any other tools I should look into

Thanks for any advice!


Comments

  • What kind of FontForge bugs/limitations are you referring to? I use FF on a regular basis and find it just as powerful as anything else.
  • joeclarkjoeclark Posts: 122
    A basic function of a so-called moderator of a discussion forum is to correct unintentional yet glaring errors like the one found in the post title.
  • edited February 2017
    Which was done, hence no need of "so-called" (if also vindictive flagging).

    Raphael, don't exclude FontLab as a candidate. For one thing, it's not to limited to MacOS.
  • Given that Raphael asks specifically asks about Glyphs (and about Retina-friendliness), we can assume he has a Mac.

    Raphael: I believe Glyphs will cater to all the needs you listed. I suggest making use of the free trial month to check whether this is true. If you can't find a certain functionality, ask on the Glyphs forum — it's probably already implemented, and if not, it might be within easy reach of a custom script.
  • But we can't assume he'll never have to work on [his] fonts on another platform... Humans need to be portable too.
  • +1 for Fontlab. It's just great... yes it is an old dog, but nevertheless it is robust, stable and reliable (even with all it's bugs and quirks). Steep learning curve, no pretty interface (FL5) but productive. Plus if you get it now, you will actually receive a free upgrade to FL6 witch will be ... just amazing! (if it ever gets finished :) )
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