Suited program

Ola

Hi. I am looking for a suited program to export my font to a TrueType (or other format). I have made already made the font in illustrator, so all I need is to put the letters right and get it exported. I have earlier worked in FontCreator, but since I now work on a Mac it is not compatible. I also realised I may not need a full version professional edition program since I use Illustrator for the design, but I do not know. I am an amateur, but I have great faith in my font, so I would like no commercial restrictions or so:) What du you recommend?

James Puckett

If you’re just creating one font without OpenType features Glyphs Mini is all you’ll need.

Georg Seifert

This should get you started: https://glyphsapp.com/tutorials/importing-from-illustrator-into-glyphs-mini

Ola

Thanks you guys

Thomas Phinney

Also, just a fair warning that there is a LOT to be done after importing the letters into a font editor. In all likelihood, outlines will need correcting once they have snapped to the font UPM grid. Plus, there is spacing and kerning!

Matthijs Herzberg

While I wouldn't recommend it for professional type design, FontSelf might be your easiest option here. It's an illustrator plug-in, and I believe only about $50.

notdef

To reiterate Thomas’ point: Drawing a set of letterforms in Illustrator accounts for maybe 20% of the work that goes into a decent typeface. And that’s a very generous estimate. Spacing isn’t something you tack on after the fact – it is the most important part of the drawing. Type design is all about modifying letterforms – and the spaces they carve, inside and out – to weave a consistent pattern in all imaginable permutations.

Piotr Grochowski

Frode Helland said:

To reiterate Thomas’ point: Drawing a set of letterforms in Illustrator accounts for maybe 20% of the work that goes into a decent typeface. And that’s a very generous estimate. Spacing isn’t something you tack on after the fact – it is the most important part of the drawing. Type design is all about modifying letterforms – and the spaces they carve, inside and out – to weave a consistent pattern in all imaginable permutations.

The OP has said "I have made already made the font" so possibly the horizontal and vertical spacing are already defined somewhere.

notdef

My point is that there is a huge gap between what a graphic designer think is involved in “making a font”, and what type design actually is. 

notdef

@Piotr Grochowski Your comment unintentionally underlines my point. You talk about the spacing as something that is defined separate from the letterforms – a set of values listed “somewhere” else. I argue that the spacing is something that directly affects the letterforms and cannot be decoupled from them: i.e. changes in spacing is reflected in internal dimensions and distances within each letterform.

A very basic example: Changing the distance between two i’s also changes how far the tittle appears to sit above them.

Piotr Grochowski

Frode Helland said:

@Piotr Grochowski Your comment unintentionally underlines my point. You talk about the spacing as something that is defined separate from the letterforms – a set of values listed “somewhere” else. I argue that the spacing is something that directly affects the letterforms and cannot be decoupled from them: i.e. changes in spacing is reflected in internal dimensions and distances within each letterform.

A very basic example: Changing the distance between two i’s also changes how far the tittle appears to sit above them.

I did not mean the spacing is defined separately. It could just as well have been defined within the glyphs.