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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 Legacy format superseded by Unicode OpenType.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 T42 font and why was it created for PostScript workflows?
A T42 font wraps TrueType outlines inside a PostScript-compatible structure.
This allowed PostScript printers to render TrueType fonts without converting them into Type 1.
It served as a bridge between Windows TrueType and PostScript-oriented publishing systems.
Why does Type 42 embed TrueType glyph data instead of using native PostScript curves?
TrueType glyphs use quadratic Bézier curves, which PostScript normally cannot interpret directly.
Type 42 provides a mapping layer so PostScript can access TrueType tables.
This preserves the original glyph design while enabling PostScript output.
Why did early Windows-to-PostScript printing require T42 conversion?
Windows applications generated TrueType text, but printers expected PostScript.
Type 42 acted as an on-the-fly translator embedded inside PS print jobs.
Without it, TrueType fonts would be rasterized or substituted.
Why can T42 fonts contain the entire TrueType `glyf` and `loca` tables?
Type 42 embeds raw TrueType data blocks directly into PostScript dictionaries.
This allows the PostScript interpreter to reconstruct glyph shapes accurately.
No curve conversion is performed unless explicitly requested.
Why are T42 fonts important for RIP and typesetter compatibility?
Many raster image processors lacked native TrueType support.
Embedding T42 ensured that glyphs rendered identically across PostScript-based workflows.
This reduced font substitution issues in prepress environments.
Why do T42 fonts sometimes appear in EPS files exported from design software?
EPS requires all fonts to be embedded or referenced for reliable printing.
When a document uses TrueType fonts, software embeds them as Type 42 blocks.
This guarantees that printers can access the required glyphs.
Why does Type 42 rely heavily on the TrueType hinting system?
Since it embeds native TrueType tables, it also retains TrueType hinting instructions.
PostScript interpreters execute these hints to improve raster quality.
This maintains the clarity expected from screen-optimized TrueType designs.
Why can T42 fonts increase the size of PostScript files?
Embedding TrueType tables adds substantial binary data to the PS program.
Large glyph sets and hinting tables contribute additional overhead.
This expansion is the trade-off for device-independent printing.
Why did Adobe discourage the use of T42 once OpenType became standard?
OpenType unified TrueType and PostScript outlines into a single format readable on all major platforms.
OpenType removed the need for embedding compatibility layers inside PostScript files.
T42 remained useful only for legacy workflows.
Why do some printers reject T42 fonts even though they understand PostScript?
Only PostScript Level 2 and higher support Type 42 fonts.
Older Level 1 interpreters cannot parse embedded TrueType tables.
In such cases, the printer substitutes fallback fonts or errors out.
Why does Type 42 retain the TrueType `cmap` table?
The `cmap` table maps Unicode or code points to glyph indices.
PostScript uses this mapping to locate glyph data inside the embedded font.
This preserves full character coverage for multilingual text.
Why do some PDF generators convert T42 fonts into CID-Keyed or Type 0 fonts?
PDF engines prefer scalable, device-independent containers optimized for compression.
Type 0 and CID-Keyed fonts handle multiple encodings more efficiently.
The conversion reduces file size and standardizes output.
Why are T42 fonts rarely edited directly by designers?
Type 42 is an output format, not a design format.
It mirrors the internal structure of TrueType tables, making manual edits impractical.
Designers modify the TTF source instead and regenerate the T42 output.
Why do T42 fonts sometimes fail to embed certain glyphs?
Applications may subset the TrueType font incorrectly before wrapping it in Type 42.
Missing glyphs occur when subset tables reference indices that were not included.
Proper subsetting ensures T42 consistency.
Why is T42 still relevant in some scientific and archival workflows?
Legacy PostScript-based pipelines continue to depend on Type 42 for accurate math and symbol rendering.
Some specialized software outputs T42 by default because it guarantees RIP compatibility.
Although outdated, T42 remains vital for preserving reproducible print results in older systems.