User's range

ivanh
ivanh Posts: 3
in Font Technology
Hi!
I am struggling with the user range in Fontlab 7. In Glyphs I can set up the values of the axes to whatever I want but in Fontlab there are the so called user and design range. I understand (or I think) the two concepts. I have read that for registered axes, user coordinates are standardized across fonts. The point is that I can't even set custom values for custom axes. From Fontlab 7 guide:
The user coordinates are more standardized across fonts, so they’re a bit like the “metric system. [...] User coordinates are more standardized across fonts, so they’re a bit like the “metric system”. Your variable OpenType fonts should use the standardized user coordinates (“meters”), but when you design, you can work in whatever design coordinates you choose, which includes “meters”, so you make your design coordinates the same as the final user coordinates. When FontLab exports variable OpenType fonts, it needs to convert between these two systems.
So I am a bit lose. For example i want to set up the extreme values of a custom axis from 90 to 200. However, the software in the axes graph sets the user coordinates from 68 to 222 and I am not able to change it. Of course it is also impossible for a registered axis. I pushed the reset button on the Axes Graph panel. I don't know if it has something to do.

I don't if it is a bug or it's the way to go.

Regards,

pd: I tried to post on Fontlab's forum but I am not able to register, since the confirmation emails never arrives...

I usually use Glyphs but not variation preview panel and I must teach some students running Windows...

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Comments

  • ivanh
    ivanh Posts: 3
    Here I send a video for further explanation: link
  • John Hudson
    John Hudson Posts: 3,277
    The user coordinate extremes will keep popping to the existing values if the current master values are beyond the new values. If you grab the red dots indicating the masters and drag them vertically up or down so that they are at the extreme you want, then you will be able to set the user coordinates accordingly. It is a bit counter-intuitive.
  • John Hudson
    John Hudson Posts: 3,277
    PS. The FontLab forums are a good place to ask this kind of question.
  • ivanh
    ivanh Posts: 3
    Oh my God! Thank you so much! I was going crazy.

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