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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 Legacy format superseded by Unicode OpenType.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 a BIN font file and why was it used on classic Macintosh systems?
A BIN font file is a MacBinary-wrapped archive that stores a Macintosh Type 1 or resource-fork-based font inside a single portable container.
Classic Mac OS separated file data into resource and data forks, making fonts difficult to transfer intact.
MacBinary bundles both forks into a single BIN file to preserve font integrity across networks and non-Mac filesystems.
Why did many early PostScript fonts for Mac ship as .BIN files instead of standard font formats?
Distribution over bulletin boards, FTP servers, and early internet protocols often stripped resource forks.
MacBinary protected the delicate Type 1 font resources from corruption during transfer.
Without BIN packaging, the font would arrive incomplete and fail to load.
Why does a BIN file require decoding before installing the font on macOS?
Modern systems no longer support MacBinary natively and cannot interpret the embedded resource fork.
The BIN wrapper must be decoded to restore the original suitcase or Type 1 components.
Only after decoding does the font appear in its usable Mac-specific structure.
Why do some BIN-wrapped fonts include multiple components inside?
Classic Macintosh Type 1 fonts required a suitcase file for screen metrics and a separate outline file for printing.
MacBinary grouped these elements so they could be moved together as one unit.
This prevented mismatched or orphaned font parts during transfers.
Why do BIN files appear when extracting old font CDs or archives?
Font vendors in the 1990s packaged Mac fonts in MacBinary format to ensure compatibility with cross-platform media.
CD-ROM file systems like ISO9660 could not store resource forks directly.
BIN acted as a protective capsule for Macintosh users.
Why do BIN fonts fail when opened on Windows or Linux?
The BIN file contains Mac-specific resource forks that non-Mac systems cannot interpret.
Without decoding, the internal font structure appears as an opaque binary blob.
Conversion tools must extract the Type 1 outline before further use.
Why were BIN files preferred over StuffIt SIT archives for certain font distributions?
MacBinary offered strict preservation of fork metadata while avoiding compression-related compatibility issues.
Some systems blocked SIT files, but allowed plain BIN transfers.
BIN provided maximum reliability across diverse networks.
Why does converting BIN fonts to modern formats sometimes break kerning?
Kerning and screen metrics were stored inside the resource fork, not in the outline file.
If the conversion tool mishandles the fork data, spacing information may be lost.
Extra steps are often required to rebuild metrics accurately.
Why did MacBinary use a strict header structure inside BIN files?
The header preserved file type, creator codes, and fork lengths crucial to Classic Mac OS.
These attributes controlled how the OS interpreted fonts at install time.
Without the header, the font would not register with the system’s Font Manager.
Why does modern macOS no longer generate or use BIN font files?
macOS abandoned resource-fork font formats in favor of TrueType and OpenType.
The Apple File System no longer requires MacBinary for file preservation.
Direct font containers like .ttf and .otf replaced the need for BIN packaging.
Why do archival font collections often include BIN files alongside Type 1 data?
Preserving original MacBinary packages ensures authenticity of historical font releases.
Many early licenses and metadata only exist inside the resource fork.
BIN files maintain exact preservation for typographic historians and museums.
Why is decoding a BIN font sometimes necessary even when the extracted files seem present?
Some file explorers show the data fork but silently discard the resource fork.
The visible file may appear intact but lacks essential font information.
Decoding reconstructs both forks reliably, ensuring proper installation.
Why did printers and RIP systems rely on BIN-wrapped Mac fonts?
Classic PostScript workflows required strict preservation of font suitcase metadata.
Transferring fonts over AppleTalk or FTP could easily break without MacBinary wrapping.
BIN guaranteed predictable output in print shops and publishing houses.
Why can extracting BIN fonts on Windows create unusable files?
Windows does not understand fork-based metadata and interprets the BIN as arbitrary binary data.
Without a specialized MacBinary decoder, the embedded font structure is lost.
Extraction must be performed using cross-platform MacBinary utilities.
Why is BIN considered a legacy format even though it still appears in old archives?
It solved a problem unique to Classic Mac OS that no longer exists in modern filesystems.
Current font standards like OpenType eliminate the need for fork preservation.
BIN remains relevant only for restoring historical Macintosh font collections.