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Supported Formats
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Desktop Fonts
TrueType Font - universal desktop font format developed by Apple and Microsoft in the 1980s. Uses quadratic Bézier curves for glyph outlines. Excellent screen rendering with hinting technology. Works on all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux). Supports Unicode with up to 65,536 glyphs. Standard desktop font format with maximum compatibility. Perfect for document embedding, desktop publishing, and cross-platform typography. Universal support in all operating systems and applications. Reliable choice for general-purpose font usage.
OpenType Font - modern font format jointly developed by Adobe and Microsoft (1996) extending TrueType. Uses cubic Bézier curves (PostScript outlines) allowing more complex glyph shapes. Supports advanced typography features (ligatures, alternate glyphs, contextual substitutions). Can contain up to 65,536 glyphs enabling comprehensive language support. Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, Mac, Linux). Industry standard for professional typography and multilingual documents. Perfect for print design, branding, and high-quality typography. Superior to TTF for complex scripts and advanced typographic features.
Mac Data Fork Font - legacy Macintosh font format storing TrueType/PostScript data in data fork. Used in Mac OS 9 and earlier. Phased out with Mac OS X transition to .ttf and .otf. Contains complete font data in single file (unlike resource fork fonts). Limited compatibility with modern systems. Convert to TTF or OTF for current macOS and cross-platform use. Historical format important for accessing old Mac fonts. Mainly encountered when migrating legacy Mac systems.
Compact Font Format - Adobe's space-efficient font outline format used within OpenType fonts. Stores glyph outlines using PostScript-based charstrings. More compact than TrueType outlines. Used in OTF fonts with PostScript outlines. Not standalone font file - embedded in OTF. Professional typography standard. Better compression than TTF outlines. Extract from OTF or work with complete OTF fonts.
CID-Keyed Font - Adobe font format for large character sets (Asian languages with thousands of characters). Character ID based system for efficient large font handling. Used in professional CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) typography. Complex format requiring PostScript RIP support. Legacy format superseded by Unicode OpenType. Convert to modern OTF with Unicode mapping for compatibility. Important for accessing legacy Asian language fonts.
Spline Font Database - FontForge's native font format. Editable font source format storing complete font data including editing information. ASCII or binary format with full font metadata. Used in font design and development. Convert to TTF/OTF for deployable fonts. Perfect for font design workflow. Maintains complete font development history. FontForge is free open-source font editor.
Unified Font Object - open source font source format (XML-based directory structure). Developed by font tool creators for interoperability. Stores complete font design data in human-readable XML. Used by modern font editors (RoboFont, Glyphs, FontForge). Perfect for font development and version control. Industry standard for open font source files. Compile to TTF/OTF for distribution. Excellent for collaborative font design.
Web Formats
Web Open Font Format - font format specifically designed for web use (2009). Compressed TrueType/OpenType fonts reducing file size by ~40%. Supported by 99% of browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge). Includes metadata for licensing and font information. Perfect for website typography ensuring consistent rendering across devices. Industry standard for web fonts. Faster page loads than raw TTF/OTF. Essential for modern web design and custom typography. Recommended for broad web compatibility.
WOFF 2.0 - improved web font format (2014) with better compression using Brotli algorithm. 30% smaller than WOFF with faster decompression. Supported by all modern browsers (96%+ global coverage). Maintains WOFF's metadata and licensing features. Superior performance for web typography. Recommended format for modern websites. Falls back to WOFF for older browsers. Essential for optimizing website performance and reducing bandwidth. Default choice for contemporary web development.
Embedded OpenType - proprietary web font format developed by Microsoft for Internet Explorer. Compressed and subset fonts with DRM protection. Only supported by Internet Explorer (legacy browser). Obsolete format replaced by WOFF/WOFF2. Historically important for web fonts (1997-2010s). Still encountered in legacy websites. Not recommended for new projects. Convert to WOFF2/WOFF for modern browsers. Maintained only for backward compatibility with old IE versions.
SVG Font - vector-based font format embedded in SVG files. Defines glyphs as SVG paths allowing colors, gradients, and effects. Deprecated for web use in favor of WOFF. Limited browser support (only Safari supports SVG fonts). Larger file sizes than outline fonts. Mainly historical format. Useful for special effects and colored fonts. Modern alternative: OpenType-SVG. Not recommended for general use. Better options: WOFF2 with icon fonts or OpenType color fonts.
Specialized Formats
PostScript Font Binary - Adobe Type 1 binary format for professional printing (1984). Contains glyph outlines in PostScript language. Excellent print quality with precise curves. Requires corresponding PFM or AFM metrics file. Standard in professional publishing and printing industry. Limited to 256 glyphs (single-byte encoding). Being replaced by OpenType. Still used in legacy publishing workflows. Convert to OTF for modern compatibility while preserving PostScript quality.
PostScript Font ASCII - Adobe Type 1 ASCII variant of PFB format. Human-readable PostScript code defining font outlines. Used for font development and debugging. Less efficient than PFB binary format. Requires PFM or AFM metrics file. Same quality as PFB for printing. Legacy format for professional typography. Convert to OTF for modern systems. Primarily historical significance in desktop publishing evolution.
Printer Font Metrics - Windows metrics file for Type 1 PostScript fonts. Contains font measurements (character widths, kerning pairs, bounding boxes). Required companion to PFB/PFA for proper rendering on Windows. Text file format with font metrics data. Does not contain glyph outlines. Legacy format from Windows 3.1/95 era. Used with PFB for complete Type 1 font installation. Modern OpenType fonts include metrics internally. Convert Type 1 fonts to OTF to consolidate metrics and outlines.
Adobe Font Metrics - Adobe's metrics format for Type 1 PostScript fonts. Contains character widths, kerning pairs, ligatures, and bounding boxes. ASCII text format readable by humans and applications. Companion to PFB/PFA outline files. Used by font design tools and professional publishing software. Essential for proper font spacing and kerning. Legacy format with historical importance in digital typography. Modern fonts embed metrics in OTF format. Convert to OpenType for integrated metrics and outlines.
Binary Font File - generic binary font data format used by various font tools and editors. Contains raw font outline data without specific format wrapper. Used in font development and conversion pipelines. Requires specific tools to process. Not a standard end-user format. Intermediate format in font creation workflow. Convert to TTF or OTF for usable fonts. Primarily relevant in font design and development contexts.
Mac Suitcase Font - legacy Macintosh font container (Mac OS Classic) storing multiple fonts in one file. Contains TrueType or PostScript fonts in resource fork. Used with Font Suitcase format (.suit extension). Obsolete with Mac OS X migration. Poor compatibility with modern systems. Required Font/DA Mover for installation on old Macs. Extract individual fonts and convert to TTF/OTF for modern use. Important for recovering fonts from classic Mac archives and systems.
PostScript Font Program - Adobe PostScript Type 1 font in PostScript language format. Contains font outlines as PostScript code. Used for printer font downloads and font development. Human-readable but inefficient. Legacy format from desktop publishing era. Convert to OTF for modern usage. Historical importance in professional typography. Mainly encountered in old publishing workflows.
PageMaker 3 Font - legacy font format from Aldus PageMaker 3.0 (1980s desktop publishing). Proprietary format specific to early PageMaker versions. Obsolete format with no modern support. Important only for recovering old PageMaker documents. Convert to TTF/OTF if font data recoverable. Historical artifact from desktop publishing evolution. Better alternatives available for all uses.
Type 11 Font - variant of PostScript CID-Keyed font format. Used for complex fonts with large character sets. Legacy format for Asian language fonts. Limited modern support. Convert to Unicode OpenType for compatibility. Historical format in CJK font development. Modern alternatives handle large character sets better with Unicode.
Type 42 Font - PostScript font format wrapping TrueType outlines. Hybrid format combining PostScript wrapper with TrueType data. Used for downloading TrueType fonts to PostScript printers. Primarily printer-internal format. Limited end-user relevance. Convert underlying TrueType to TTF/OTF. Historical bridge between TrueType and PostScript worlds.
How to Convert Files
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is an AFM file and why is it important for Type 1 fonts?
An AFM file (Adobe Font Metrics) contains plain-text measurements describing how a Type 1 font should space and align its glyphs.
It includes widths, kerning pairs, bounding boxes, and ascender/descender values not present in PFB or PFA files.
Applications rely on AFM data to achieve accurate page layout in both print and digital workflows.
Why is AFM stored as a text file instead of a binary structure?
Adobe designed AFM as a readable specification so designers, typesetters, and software tools could inspect or edit metrics directly.
Its transparency made debugging and customization easier for early publishing systems.
The format remains useful for environments that value clarity over compactness.
Why can't a Type 1 font function correctly without its AFM metrics in many tools?
PFB and PFA files contain glyph outlines but do not include full spacing information.
AFM metrics define how each character fits into the text flow.
Without AFM data, line breaking, kerning, and text alignment become inconsistent or inaccurate.
Why is AFM widely used in TeX, Ghostscript, and other command-line publishing systems?
These systems rely on textual metric definitions that can be parsed and manipulated through scripts.
AFM fits seamlessly into document toolchains where transparency and portability matter.
Its structure aligns perfectly with the requirements of academic and technical publishing.
Why do AFM files include bounding boxes for every glyph?
Bounding boxes allow layout engines to determine exact vertical and horizontal positioning.
They help detect overshoots, accents, and descenders that influence line spacing.
Accurate boxes ensure consistent rendering across printers and screen engines.
Why do AFM files list thousands of kerning pairs in some fonts?
High-quality typefaces include extensive kerning to maintain balanced spacing across many character combinations.
AFM provides an explicit list so applications can apply these refinements reliably.
This precision was essential for professional typesetting before OpenType automated many spacing features.
Why are AFM and PFM files often both distributed with the same font?
AFM is needed by Adobe-based and Unix-based environments, while PFM is required by Windows GDI.
Each file serves a different system architecture and metric interpretation method.
Together, they ensure compatibility across all major platforms of the Type 1 era.
Why do designers sometimes modify AFM files to adjust spacing?
AFM’s text format makes it possible to fine-tune widths or kerning without touching the outline data.
This allows precision adjustments for branding, print production, or custom typesetting.
Such manual refinements were common before graphical font editors became widespread.
Why do some fonts ship with an AFM even if their outlines are in OpenType?
Certain workflow tools still rely on AFM-style metrics for compatibility or archival reasons.
AFM can serve as a universal, human-readable metric reference regardless of outline format.
This supports hybrid workflows in publishing environments that mix old and new technologies.
Why can conversions from AFM to modern font formats introduce spacing differences?
AFM stores kerning as simple pairs, while OpenType uses more complex tables such as GPOS.
Some spacing nuances must be interpreted, not copied verbatim.
Minor differences are expected unless manually adjusted post-conversion.
Why is AFM valuable for archiving historical typefaces?
It preserves detailed typographic measurements that may be lost if only outlines remain.
Because it is plain text, AFM files remain readable decades later, independent of software changes.
This makes them ideal for long-term preservation of typographic data.
Why do AFM files explicitly document font-wide metrics like cap height and x-height?
These measurements influence paragraph spacing, alignment zones, and typographic rhythm.
Applications need them to calculate baseline grids and line-height ratios.
Including them in AFM ensures consistent behavior across layout engines.
Why do some AFM files contain comments or custom metadata?
Publishers and foundries often used AFM comments to record versioning, legal notes, or production details.
The flexible text format allowed easy addition of non-standard information.
This made AFM both a metric file and a lightweight documentation tool.
Why do AFM files remain useful even after Type 1 fonts were deprecated?
They provide clear reference metrics that assist in rebuilding or migrating older typefaces.
Conversion tools still read AFM when generating OpenType replacements.
Their readability ensures they remain relevant in restoration and archival workflows.
Why is AFM no longer required in modern font installations?
OpenType consolidates outlines, metrics, and kerning into a single file with unified tables.
This eliminates the need for external metric files like AFM.
However, AFM remains invaluable when working with legacy Type 1 environments or historical archives.