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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 Legacy format superseded by Unicode OpenType.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 PFB file and why was it used for PostScript Type 1 fonts?
A PFB file is the binary version of an Adobe Type 1 font, storing glyph outlines and hinting instructions in a segmented structure.
It was designed to work efficiently with PostScript-based workflows that required fast parsing by printers and RIP systems.
PFB became the standard binary carrier for professional desktop publishing in the 1990s.
Why are PFB fonts divided into multiple segments inside the file?
The Type 1 specification stores encrypted and unencrypted sections separately to protect proprietary glyph data.
These segments allow faster loading while preserving Adobe’s original font protection scheme.
This segmentation is one of the features distinguishing PFB from plain-text PFA fonts.
Why do PFB files require additional files like AFM or PFM to function properly?
PFB contains glyph outlines but does not include full metric information needed by operating systems.
AFM or PFM files supply kerning pairs, character widths, and layout rules.
Without these, applications cannot measure or typeset text accurately.
Why were PFB fonts preferred over TrueType in early professional printing environments?
PostScript Type 1 was the native format for high-end printers and phototypesetters.
PFB fonts delivered predictable output across RIP systems, something early TrueType versions struggled with.
This reliability made PFB essential for publishing and graphic design studios.
Why do some operating systems no longer support PFB files natively?
Modern platforms shifted to OpenType as the unified standard, discontinuing legacy font loaders.
PFB’s segmented binary structure is incompatible with modern rendering pipelines.
Without Adobe Type Manager-style interpreters, PFB cannot be used directly.
Why do PFB fonts require Adobe Type Manager on older Windows systems?
Early Windows lacked native support for Type 1 hinting and encryption.
Adobe Type Manager provided a rasterizer capable of interpreting PFB and AFM files together.
This enabled consistent text rendering across applications.
Why are PFB fonts vulnerable to corruption when transferred in text mode?
PFB relies on binary segments that cannot be safely modified or converted by text-based transfer protocols.
Uploading in ASCII mode may break encryption fields or internal markers.
File integrity is only preserved when transferred in true binary mode.
Why do modern font editors treat PFB files differently from OpenType?
PFB uses encrypted Type 1 charstrings that must be decrypted before editing.
OpenType fonts use more accessible and standardized tables.
This makes PFB editing more complex and often requires specialized tools.
Why does PFB encoding sometimes limit extended character support?
Type 1 fonts were originally designed around limited character sets and 8-bit encoding models.
Adding large Unicode ranges exceeded the capabilities of the original Type 1 structure.
This is one reason OpenType eventually replaced PFB as a universal format.
Why did PFB rely on an encryption scheme for outline data?
Adobe used simple encryption to prevent unauthorized extraction of proprietary glyph designs.
The encrypted segment safeguarded intellectual property in an era before modern licensing systems.
While not strong by modern standards, it effectively discouraged casual copying.
Why do some RIP systems still support PFB fonts decades later?
Legacy publishing equipment relies on long-established Type 1 rendering pipelines.
Replacing these systems is costly, so backward compatibility remains important.
As a result, PFB persists in specialized print environments.
Why can converting PFB to OpenType sometimes change spacing or kerning?
The conversion process must reinterpret metric data from AFM/PFM files into OpenType tables.
Subtle differences in how spacing rules are stored may cause variations.
Manual adjustments are often needed to match the original appearance.
Why were PFB fonts more compact than their plain-text PFA equivalents?
PFB compresses predictable text sequences and encodes binary data efficiently.
This reduced storage requirements significantly during the early low-capacity disk era.
Its compactness made it practical for distribution on floppy disks and early networks.
Why do graphic design archives still contain many PFB files?
Type 1 fonts dominated professional design during the desktop publishing revolution.
Agencies and print shops built extensive libraries of PFB-based typefaces.
These archives remain valuable for historical reproduction and brand consistency.
Why is PFB no longer recommended for new projects?
It lacks Unicode support, advanced features, and cross-platform rendering stability.
OpenType supersedes PFB with better compression, flexibility, and modern typographic capabilities.
For long-term compatibility, designers and developers are encouraged to migrate away from Type 1 formats.