Convert DFONT Files Free
Professional DFONT file conversion tool
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Supported Formats
Convert between all major file formats with high quality
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 DFONT file and why was it introduced in early versions of macOS?
A DFONT file is a data-fork TrueType font format used by early Mac OS X systems to replace classic resource-fork font structures.
It consolidated font data into a single file that matched the modern Unix-style filesystem used by OS X.
DFONT served as a transition format during Apple’s shift from Classic Mac OS to a unified font architecture.
Why did Apple move from suitcase-style resource fonts to DFONT?
Resource forks were unreliable in cross-platform environments and incompatible with many standard file operations.
DFONT stored all typographic data in the data fork, making it portable and easier for applications to handle.
This modernization simplified font management and system integration.
Why do DFONT files often contain TrueType outlines internally?
DFONT is essentially a wrapper around traditional TrueType tables stored in a Mac-specific structure.
The underlying glyph data uses quadratic Bézier curves just like standard TTF fonts.
This ensures full compatibility with macOS system renderers.
Why can't modern Windows systems install DFONT files directly?
Windows expects TrueType fonts in TTF or OpenType packages, not in Apple's data-fork container.
DFONT embeds tables differently, so Windows font loaders cannot parse the structure.
Conversion to TTF is required before Windows can recognize DFONT fonts.
Why do some macOS system fonts still exist only in DFONT form?
Certain legacy interface fonts were bundled as DFONT during the OS X transition period.
Some remained unchanged to preserve compatibility with older Cocoa frameworks.
These system fonts are still protected by macOS and cannot be modified directly.
Why do DFONT files often appear much larger than equivalent TTF files?
DFONT sometimes includes additional internal resources, localized tables, or system-specific metadata.
Apple’s packaging method resulted in less efficient storage compared to modern compressed formats.
The lack of compression contributes to noticeably larger file sizes.
Why do many font editors require conversion before opening a DFONT file?
Most editors only accept standard TrueType or OpenType containers.
DFONT’s Apple-specific header and data layout must be extracted before editing.
Tools like dfont2ttf are commonly used to convert DFONT into editable TTF form.
Why was DFONT tightly integrated with Apple’s ATS (Apple Type Services)?
ATS expected fonts to follow the unified data-fork model introduced in OS X.
DFONT supported efficient memory mapping and fast rendering inside ATS-based applications.
This integration helped maintain system-wide typographic consistency.
Why do some designers avoid distributing fonts in DFONT format?
DFONT is not widely supported outside macOS ecosystems.
Users on other platforms must manually convert it, which can cause compatibility issues.
OpenType has become the universal format, making DFONT unnecessary for cross-platform distribution.
Why can converting DFONT to TTF sometimes alter naming or metadata?
DFONT stores font names, style information, and metadata differently than TTF.
Conversion tools must reinterpret internal tables, which may produce minor variations.
Manual cleanup is often required when preparing professional releases.
Why were DFONT files once required for system UI elements in macOS?
OS X’s early frameworks expected specific font families to exist in DFONT format for rendering menus and dialogs.
Some UI subsystems hardcoded references to DFONT resources.
Over time, Apple replaced these dependencies with OpenType system fonts.
Why do DFONT fonts sometimes behave differently than TTF versions of the same typeface?
DFONT may include unique Apple-specific tables or rendering hints.
Font smoothing and antialiasing behavior in macOS can vary depending on the source format.
Converted versions may not always replicate the exact system rendering profile.
Why is DFONT considered a transitional legacy format today?
It was created to bridge the gap between Classic Mac OS and the early Unix-based OS X environment.
Modern macOS versions rely almost entirely on OpenType-backed system fonts.
DFONT files remain only for historical, archival, or compatibility reasons.
Why do some DFONT files contain multiple font faces within a single file?
Apple sometimes packaged complete font families inside a single DFONT container for simpler system management.
This mirrored the old suitcase structure while using a data-fork implementation.
Extraction tools can split these into individual TTF files if needed.
Why is DFONT no longer recommended for modern design or distribution?
It is macOS-specific, lacks compression, and offers no advantage over OpenType.
Modern software ecosystems expect TTF or OTF for interoperability and reliability.
For long-term portability, converting DFONT fonts is strongly advised.