FontLab and Vexy terms¶

Portable glossary snapshot: 13 September 2026.

Start with the entry's status and product scope, then follow its definition into the sentence you are checking. Keep the term stable while the explanation around it develops. A collision note identifies where a familiar noun changes meaning between applications; use that distinction before choosing a correction.

Approved house usage does not establish current availability. Draft decisions remain open, and deprecated names may belong in history or exact quotations. This catalog is not an exhaustive list of valid words, products or domains. Use applicable newer evidence when supplied and state the scope of any disagreement.

Definitions and collision notes come from the writing guide's glossary. Research paths remain in the source repository. Usage examples are omitted so a naming check does not turn an old style preference into a factual prohibition. For worked definitions and editing decisions, see the worked cases.

Names¶

Adobe Illustrator¶

Id: adobe-illustrator. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-linestra, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: no.

Also written: Illustrator.

Adobe Illustrator is the host application for the Vexy Illustrator plug-ins. Use the full name on first mention, then Illustrator. Vexy Lines and Vexy Playlines are separate applications; do not describe them as Illustrator plug-ins.

app.fontographer.net¶

Id: app-fontographer-net. Status: approved. Applies to: fontographer.

Translatable: no.

app.fontographer.net is the address of the browser edition of Fontographer. Preserve the lowercase domain when naming the destination. Use Fontographer when referring to the application itself.

Dream Up¶

Id: dream-up. Status: approved. Applies to: fontographer.

Translatable: no.

Also written: Dream Up Font, Mixfont.

Dream Up is a Fontographer command for generating glyph shapes. Dream Up Font generates a whole font; Mixfont blends existing fonts. Keep these commands distinct and show any confirmed cost before the reader runs an operation. Generated shapes may need further editing.

Related: Fontographer, Vexy coins, glyph, Sigma.

FLUM¶

Id: flum. Status: deprecated. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: FLUM Unified Database.

FLUM is an internal documentation-project name, not a customer-facing product or feature. Omit it from published instructions. Refer to the relevant product documentation when directing a reader to help.

Related: FontLab, FontLab 8.

FontLab¶

Id: fontlab. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: FontLab 8, FontLab font editor.

FontLab is the name of the desktop font editor. Preserve its capital F and L in headings and prose. Fontlab Ltd. names the company; the lowercase fontlab spelling belongs to identifiers such as the Python module and website domains.

fontlab (Python module)¶

Id: fontlab-python-module. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: import fontlab.

The fontlab Python module exposes FontLab scripting functionality. Its name is lowercase and case sensitive. Format it as code in prose, and keep the application name FontLab distinct from the module name in examples.

Related: FontLab, FontLab 8, fontlab.com.

FontLab 8¶

Id: fontlab-8. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: FontLab 8 font editor.

FontLab 8 names version 8 of the desktop font editor. Put one space before the version number. After establishing the version, use FontLab alone where no other version could be meant. Retain the number in compatibility statements and version-specific instructions.

Related: FontLab, FontLab 9, FontLab Studio 5, VFC.

FontLab 9¶

Id: fontlab-9. Status: draft. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

FontLab 9 is a versioned product name whose house usage remains draft. Its appearance in an interface or format description does not establish release availability. Confirm the version and intended audience before using it in new prose; preserve it when quoting an exact label.

FontLab account¶

Id: fontlab-account. Status: approved. Applies to: all.

Translatable: no.

A FontLab account is the identity used to sign in to FontLab services and manage licences. Keep the capital L in FontLab and lowercase account. Distinguish the account from a licence, subscription or payment when more than one appears in the same explanation.

Fontlab Ltd.¶

Id: fontlab-ltd. Status: approved. Applies to: company.

Translatable: no.

Also written: Fontlab.

Fontlab Ltd. is the company name. Preserve the lowercase l in Fontlab and the period after Ltd. Use FontLab, with a capital L, for the product. The two spellings identify different entities and must not be normalized into one.

Related: FontLab, Photofont, TypeTool.

FontLab Pass¶

Id: fontlab-pass. Status: approved. Applies to: all.

Translatable: no.

FontLab Pass is the identity and licensing service at pass.fontlab.com. Use the complete service name when explaining account or licence management. Distinguish the service from the FontLab account used to sign in.

FontLab Studio 5¶

Id: fontlab-studio-5. Status: deprecated. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

FontLab Studio 5 is a historical version of the font editor. Use the full name in migration instructions, historical descriptions and compatibility statements. Do not shorten it to Studio or use it as the name of another FontLab version.

Related: FontLab, FontLab 8, VFB.

fontlab.com¶

Id: fontlab-com. Status: approved. Applies to: company.

Translatable: no.

fontlab.com is the main FontLab website address. Preserve the lowercase domain. Link to the relevant page when a reader needs a particular product, download or instruction, rather than sending every task to the home page.

Fontographer¶

Id: fontographer. Status: approved. Applies to: fontographer.

Translatable: no.

Fontographer names a font editor. For its browser edition, use app.fontographer.net as the address. Distinguish a historical numbered edition when compatibility or migration depends on it. Preserve Fontographer.net only where it belongs to an exact project or command label.

Fontographer.net¶

Id: fontographer-net. Status: draft. Applies to: fontographer.

Translatable: no.

Fontographer.net occurs in project and command labels. Preserve it when quoting an interface label that uses this spelling. Use Fontographer for the application in ordinary prose and app.fontographer.net for its browser address. Broader house usage of Fontographer.net remains draft.

forum.fontlab.com¶

Id: forum-fontlab-com. Status: approved. Applies to: all.

Translatable: no.

forum.fontlab.com is the FontLab user-forum address. Use it for a relevant discussion or community question, and identify the destination. A documentation link is preferable when the reader needs an established procedure rather than a discussion.

GlyphRef¶

Id: glyph-ref. Status: approved. Applies to: fontographer.

Translatable: no.

GlyphRef is the class used to reference a Fontographer glyph through its scripting interface. Preserve the capital G and R and format the name as code. Keep the API identifier separate from the ordinary word glyph.

help.fontlab.com¶

Id: help-fontlab-com. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, transtype.

Translatable: no.

help.fontlab.com is a FontLab documentation address. Preserve its lowercase spelling and identify the product or article when linking to it. Use a specific documentation page when the reader needs a particular procedure or reference.

help.vexy.art¶

Id: help-vexy-art. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-lines, vexy-linestra, vexy-playlines, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: no.

help.vexy.art is the Vexy documentation address. Name the relevant product when linking to it, since the Vexy products share vocabulary but differ in features and workflows. Preserve the lowercase domain.

pass.fontlab.com¶

Id: pass-fontlab-com. Status: approved. Applies to: all.

Translatable: no.

pass.fontlab.com is the address for FontLab account and licence management. Use the domain when naming the destination and FontLab Pass when naming the service. Explain the action the reader can perform there.

Photofont¶

Id: photofont. Status: approved. Applies to: company.

Translatable: no.

Photofont is a protected Fontlab Ltd. name, written as one word with a capital P. Preserve this spelling in a notice or reference. Confirm the relevant product and version before adding a claim about functionality.

Related: Fontlab Ltd., TypeTool, FontLab.

playlines.vexy.art¶

Id: playlines-vexy-art. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-playlines.

Translatable: no.

playlines.vexy.art is the address of Vexy Playlines, the browser application. Preserve the lowercase domain. Use the product name for the application and the address for the destination the reader opens.

Strokes Maker¶

Id: strokes-maker. Status: deprecated. Applies to: vexy-lines.

Translatable: no.

Strokes Maker is a former name of Vexy Lines. Use Vexy Lines for the current product and retain Strokes Maker when identifying a historical release or explaining the name change. Do not rename an old interface label inside a quotation.

Related: Vexy Lines, Vexy, Vexy Playlines.

studio.fontlab.com¶

Id: studio-fontlab-com. Status: draft. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

studio.fontlab.com is an unconfirmed service address in the naming register. Keep it draft and do not direct readers there without confirmation of the destination and its availability. A recorded spelling does not establish that a service exists.

TransType 5¶

Id: transtype-5. Status: approved. Applies to: transtype.

Translatable: no.

Also written: TransType, TrT.

TransType 5 names version 5 of the font conversion application. Keep TransType as one word with capital T in both parts, followed by one space and the version. Use TransType after establishing the version; declare TrT before using it as a short form.

TypeTool¶

Id: typetool. Status: approved. Applies to: company.

Translatable: no.

TypeTool is a protected Fontlab Ltd. product name, written as one word with two capital Ts. Preserve that spelling when naming the product or quoting a notice. Confirm the relevant version before describing its features or compatibility.

Related: Fontlab Ltd., Photofont, FontLab.

Vexy¶

Id: vexy. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-lines, vexy-linestra, vexy-playlines, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: no.

Vexy is the family prefix in Vexy Lines, Vexy Linestra, Vexy Playlines and Vexy Vextra. It is not a standalone application name. Identify the product when describing an operation; retain Vexy alone when it is the exact name of an interface category.

Vexy coins¶

Id: vexy-coins. Status: approved. Applies to: fontographer.

Translatable: no.

Vexy coins are credits used to pay for applicable Fontographer operations. Keep Vexy capitalized and coins lowercase. State a confirmed charge before the reader performs the operation, and distinguish the credit balance from money, a licence or an account.

Vexy Lines¶

Id: vexy-lines. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-lines.

Translatable: no.

Vexy Lines is the standalone desktop application for converting a bitmap into vector artwork through algorithmic fills. Keep the full two-word name. Distinguish it from Vexy Playlines, the browser application, and from the Vexy Illustrator plug-ins. Its native project format is .lines.

Vexy Linestra¶

Id: vexy-linestra. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-linestra.

Translatable: no.

Also written: VexyLinestra.

Vexy Linestra is the Adobe Illustrator plug-in for parametric line fills. Use the two-word product name in prose. Preserve the closed spelling VexyLinestra in an exact filename such as VexyLinestra.aip; a filename spelling does not replace the product name.

Related: Vexy, Adobe Illustrator, AIP, Fill Grid.

Vexy Playlines¶

Id: vexy-playlines. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-playlines.

Translatable: no.

Also written: Playlines.

Vexy Playlines is the browser application for converting images into vector artwork at playlines.vexy.art. Use the full name in titles and on first mention, then Playlines where unambiguous. Keep it distinct from Vexy Lines, the desktop application.

Vexy Vextra¶

Id: vexy-vextra. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-vextra.

Translatable: no.

Also written: Vextra, VexyVextra.

Vexy Vextra is the Adobe Illustrator plug-in for contour editing. Use the full name in a title and on first mention; Vextra is the declared short form. Preserve VexyVextra in an exact filename such as VexyVextra.aip.

Related: Vexy, Adobe Illustrator, AIP, G2 continuity.

Type design¶

ascender¶

Id: ascender. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, transtype.

Translatable: yes.

An ascender is the part of a lowercase letter that extends above the x-height, as in b or d. Ascender height describes the intended alignment of these parts and may differ from cap height. Do not confuse this design measurement with similarly named vertical metrics in exported font tables. Line spacing depends on those fields and on the application using them.

Related: descender, cap height, x-height, OS/2 table.

baseline¶

Id: baseline. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, transtype.

Translatable: yes.

A baseline is a reference line used to align text. In conventional horizontal Latin font design, the baseline is at y = 0, with ascenders above it and descenders below it. Other scripts and layout systems can use different baseline conventions. Identify the relevant baseline when discussing alignment across scripts or vertical text.

Related: x-height, cap height, ascender, UPM.

bowl¶

Id: bowl. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

A bowl is a rounded stroke that encloses a counter, as in b, d or p. Its shape, thickness and junctions affect the letter's balance. The appropriate number of curve segments depends on the design. Nodes at extrema can help editing and hinting, but a fixed segment count does not guarantee compatible masters or good interpolation.

Related: counter, stem, overshoot, extremum.

cap height¶

Id: cap-height. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

Cap height is the distance from the baseline to the top of a flat capital such as H. Rounded or pointed capitals may extend beyond it through overshoot. Record the intended value in Font Info. Cap height describes a design measurement; alignment zones and line-spacing metrics are separate settings, even when their values are related.

character¶

Id: character. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

A character is an abstract unit of written text, such as a letter or punctuation mark. A glyph is its visual representation. The relationship is not one to one: several characters can form a ligature, and a character can have several glyph forms. A user-perceived character can also consist of several Unicode codepoints. Keep characters, codepoints and glyphs distinct when discussing encoding or text processing.

contour¶

Id: contour. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-vextra, vexy-lines.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: outline, path.

A contour is an open or closed sequence of connected line and curve segments. Its nodes and control points describe its geometry. One glyph or vector object can contain several contours. A counter is an area of space, not a synonym for a contour. When explaining fill behaviour, identify the outline format and fill rule before prescribing a contour direction.

Related: node, segment, winding direction, counter.

counter¶

Id: counter. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

A counter is the enclosed or partly enclosed space within a letterform, such as the enclosed space in an o or the open space in a c. The surrounding strokes define it. A closed counter may have an inner contour as its boundary; an open counter does not require a separate contour. Judge its size and shape together with the surrounding strokes.

Related: contour, winding direction, stem, bowl.

descender¶

Id: descender. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, transtype.

Translatable: yes.

A descender is the part of a letter that extends below the baseline, as in p or y. Its design height is usually recorded as a negative coordinate relative to the baseline. Exported descender metrics are separate fields used by applications for layout. Whether a deep glyph clips depends on the relevant metrics, application and text container, not on one design value alone.

Related: ascender, baseline, OS/2 table, UPM.

extremum¶

Id: extremum. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: extreme point, node at extreme.

An extremum is a point where a curve reaches a local leftmost, rightmost, topmost or bottommost position. The plural is extrema. Placing nodes at extrema can help editing and hinting. If you add nodes to masters intended for interpolation, preserve the correspondence between their contours and points. Different extremum positions alone do not make masters incompatible.

glyph¶

Id: glyph. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, transtype.

Translatable: yes.

A glyph is one drawn shape in a font: a letter, a figure, a mark, or a piece of a composite. A character is what a reader types and a glyph is what a renderer draws, and one character can map to several glyphs while several characters can map to one. You edit a glyph in the Glyph window, where its contours, elements, anchors, and metrics all live together. The distinction matters in any sentence about encoding, since a font maps codepoints to glyphs through the cmap table.

handle¶

Id: handle. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: control point, BCP.

A handle is an off-curve control point used to shape a curve segment. A cubic Bézier segment has two control points; a quadratic segment has one. Moving a handle changes the curve without moving its endpoints. In tools that display handle arms, the arm connects a control point to an endpoint. Name the curve type when the number or behaviour of handles matters.

Related: node, segment, Tunni line, G2 continuity.

node¶

Id: node. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: point.

A node is a point on a contour where segments meet, and its type decides how they meet. A sharp node lets two segments arrive at any angle. A smooth node keeps the handles collinear so the curve passes through without a kink. A tangent node joins a line to a curve smoothly. A G2 node matches curvature as well as direction. You select a node and drag it, or nudge it, and the segments on both sides follow. Put nodes at the extremes so hinting and interpolation have something to hold.

Related: handle, segment, contour, extremum.

overshoot¶

Id: overshoot. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

Overshoot is the extension of a rounded or pointed shape beyond an alignment line so that it appears as tall as a flat shape. For example, an o may extend above the x-height and below the baseline. Its amount depends on the design and intended size. PostScript alignment zones can describe these overshoot regions for hinting; there is no universal percentage to apply.

Related: alignment zone, x-height, baseline, bowl.

segment¶

Id: segment. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: curve segment.

A segment is the portion of a contour between two on-curve endpoints. It may be a straight line or a curve. A quadratic Bézier segment has one off-curve control point; a cubic segment has two. Describe the segment type and the relevant editing command rather than assuming that every curve has two handles or that changing a node type performs every conversion.

Related: node, handle, contour, extremum.

serif¶

Id: serif. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

A serif is the finishing stroke at the end of a stem or arm. Its shape sorts a face into the familiar classes: oldstyle, transitional, Didone, slab. You draw a serif once and reuse it as a component or an element, which keeps a family consistent and makes a late change cheap. Serifs are small, so they take the most damage at low resolution, which is where hinting and careful alignment zones earn their place.

Related: terminal, element, component, hinting.

stem¶

Id: stem. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

A stem is a main stroke of a letter, usually the vertical one: the two uprights of an H, the single upright of an l. Stem width sets the weight of a face, and stems that disagree across a family break its rhythm. You measure a stem with the Measurement tool and record the standard widths in Font Info, where hinting and the stem links read them. Vextra reuses the word for the paired edges it detects in general artwork, not only in letters.

Related: counter, stem link, hinting, alignment zone.

terminal¶

Id: terminal. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

A terminal is the end of a stroke without a serif, such as the ending of a c or f. Its shape may be rounded, angled or cut off, depending on the design. Compare related terminals across a typeface at the intended reading size. The anatomical term does not prescribe how to construct or store the shape in an editor.

Related: serif, stem, contour, overshoot.

UPM¶

Id: upm. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, transtype.

Translatable: no.

Also written: units per em, unitsPerEm.

UPM, units per em, specifies how many font units make up one em. It sets the scale for outline coordinates and metrics when a renderer converts them to a text size. Values such as 1000 and 2048 are common; TrueType outlines do not require a power of two. When changing UPM, distinguish changing the scale value from rescaling the outlines and metrics.

Related: baseline, advance width, hinting, OTF.

winding direction¶

Id: winding-direction. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: contour direction, CW, CCW.

Winding direction is the order in which a contour runs, clockwise or counter-clockwise, and it decides which areas the renderer fills. FontLab follows the PostScript convention: outer contours wind counter-clockwise and counters wind clockwise. The letter O is two contours, one each way. You check direction before you export, and reverse a contour when a counter fills solid or an outer shape turns hollow. A renderer applies the rule at draw time, so the error shows in the proof rather than in the editor.

Related: contour, counter, Remove Overlap, OTF.

x-height¶

Id: x-height. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

The x-height is the height of a lowercase x above the baseline, and it stands for the height of the lowercase in general. It does more for apparent size than the point size does: two faces at the same size look different when their x-heights differ. You record it in Font Info so hinting and alignment zones can use it, and you draw round letters slightly above it to allow for overshoot. Write it lowercase with a hyphen, even at the start of a sentence recast to avoid one.

Font engineering¶

advance width¶

Id: advance-width. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, transtype.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: advance, width.

Advance width is the horizontal distance allocated to a glyph before layout adjustments, measured in font units. In an OpenType font, the base values are stored in the hmtx table. Kerning and other positioning operations can adjust advances during layout without rewriting those base values. Advance width differs from the visible outline width; a space can have an advance without an outline.

Related: sidebearing, metrics, kerning, UPM.

alignment zone¶

Id: alignment-zone. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: blue zone, zone.

An alignment zone is a region around a common vertical alignment, such as the baseline or cap height, used in PostScript hinting. It can include the overshoot of rounded letters. A rasterizer uses zone information when fitting outlines to a pixel grid. Keep this mechanism distinct from design measurements and from the control-value and instruction mechanisms used in TrueType hinting.

Related: hinting, autohinting, overshoot, x-height.

anchor¶

Id: anchor. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

An anchor is a named attachment point in a glyph that says where a mark belongs. A base letter carries a top anchor, and the accent carries a matching one, so the accent lands in the same relation on every letter that uses it. You place anchors in the Anchors and Pins panel, and FontLab uses them both to build composites and to generate mark attachment lookups in GPOS, which is what positions marks in text the font never composed itself.

autohinting¶

Id: autohinting. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Autohinting generates hints for a font from its outlines and its declared stems and zones, in one pass over the glyphs. It is a starting point rather than a finish: it hints the regular cases well and leaves the awkward glyphs for you. You run it after the alignment zones and standard stem widths are correct in Font Info, because it reads them. Then you check the glyphs that matter at text sizes and correct by hand what the pass got wrong.

axis¶

Id: axis. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: design axis.

An axis is one dimension of font variation, such as weight, width or optical size. In an OpenType variable font, each axis has a four-character tag and a minimum, default and maximum value. Registered tags, such as wght, have defined meanings. Preserve tag spelling and case, and check the axis registry when assigning a custom tag.

component¶

Id: component. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

A component is a reference to another glyph placed inside this one, so that aacute holds the a and the acute rather than copies of their outlines. Change the source glyph and every glyph that references it follows. You build composites from components, position them with anchors, and keep them as references through to export, where a TrueType flavoured font stores them in the glyf table. In FontLab a component is one kind of element reference.

composite glyph¶

Id: composite-glyph. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: composite.

A composite glyph is built from references to other glyphs rather than from its own outlines: an accented letter, a currency symbol with a bar, a stacked fraction. You assemble it from components and anchor them to the base, so a change to the base or to the mark reaches every composite that uses it. Composites keep a large accented character set consistent and small. A composite that has been decomposed is no longer one, and no longer follows its sources.

Related: component, anchor, element reference, glyph.

conversion profile¶

Id: conversion-profile. Status: approved. Applies to: transtype.

Translatable: yes.

A conversion profile is the saved set of choices TransType applies to a conversion: the output format, the naming scheme, the filters, and the options that go with them. You build a profile once for a job you repeat, then run it over a new set of sources without repeating the decisions. It matters because a family converted with two different sets of options ships as two families that do not quite match, which shows up in a font menu rather than in a test.

CVT table¶

Id: cvt-table. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: cvt, control value table.

The CVT table holds the control values that TrueType hinting instructions refer to: the stem widths, heights, and other measurements a font wants held constant across glyphs. An instruction cites a CVT entry rather than a raw number, so one change to the table reaches every glyph that cites it. You work with it through the TrueType Hinting panel. It ships in the font, alongside the instructions themselves and the prep and fpgm programs that set the machine up.

Related: hinting, stem link, TTF, autohinting.

design space¶

Id: design-space. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

A design space describes the positions defined by a font project's variation axes. Masters provide source data at specified locations; instances represent results at selected locations. User coordinates and internal design coordinates may be connected by a mapping, or may have the same values. State which coordinate system a number belongs to when the distinction affects a procedure.

Related: axis, master, instance, interpolation.

element¶

Id: element. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

An element is FontLab's container for a piece of drawing inside a glyph: one or more contours, an image, or a reference to another element. A glyph holds elements, and an element holds contours, which is the layer of structure that makes a serif or a stem reusable across a family. You work with elements in the Elements panel and with the Element tool. The word is FontLab's own; other editors call the nearest thing a path group or a component.

element reference¶

Id: element-reference. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

An element reference is a placed copy of an element that still points at the original. Edit the original and every reference updates. You use references to share a serif, a stem, or a whole letter across a family, and you decompose a reference only when a glyph genuinely needs to diverge. A component is the familiar case of an element reference: one glyph placed inside another. Keep references intact through the design phase, since decomposing early throws away the link that makes a late change cheap.

Related: element, component, composite glyph, glyph.

font target¶

Id: font-target. Status: approved. Applies to: transtype.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: target.

A font target is what TransType produces from a source: the output font, with its format, its names, and the filters applied on the way. Sources go in on one side and targets come out on the other, and one source can produce several targets. You set the target options before you convert, and you name the target in a procedure step so a reader knows which side of the conversion a setting belongs to.

Related: TransType 5, conversion profile, OTF, TTC.

hinting¶

Id: hinting. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

Hinting is the extra information a font carries so that its outlines land predictably on a pixel grid at small sizes. PostScript hinting declares stems and alignment zones and leaves the rasterizer to interpret them. TrueType hinting gives instructions that move points explicitly, with the control values in the CVT table. You work on PostScript hints in the glyph and in Font Info, and on TrueType hints with the TrueType Hinting tool and panel. Autohinting produces a starting point you then correct.

instance¶

Id: instance. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

An instance is a particular result at a location in a font's variation space. A named instance, such as Semibold, gives a selected location a name that applications can present. Other locations need not have names. In FontLab, configured instances can be exported as static fonts or included as named instances in a variable font.

Related: master, axis, design space, variable font.

interpolation¶

Id: interpolation. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

Interpolation calculates values between source values. In font design, it can calculate outlines, metrics and other data from masters at specified design-space locations. Outline interpolation requires corresponding contour and point structures. Structural compatibility makes the calculation possible, but does not guarantee a good drawing: inspect intermediate results as well as the masters. Extrapolation calculates beyond the source range.

kern exception¶

Id: kern-exception. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

A kern exception is a pair value that overrides what the classes would otherwise apply. One member of a class rarely behaves like the rest, and the exception says so without breaking the class apart. You create one in the Kerning panel by kerning the single pair while its classes stay in place. Keep exceptions few: a class with many exceptions is the wrong class, and the cheaper fix is to split it rather than to list every disagreement.

Related: kerning class, kerning pair, kerning, GPOS.

kerning¶

Id: kerning. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, transtype.

Translatable: yes.

Kerning adjusts the spacing of particular glyph combinations beyond their normal advances. A pair such as AV may need a different gap from the one produced by its unadjusted metrics. OpenType fonts commonly store horizontal kerning in GPOS lookups associated with the kern feature; some formats and workflows use a separate kern table. Name the mechanism when it matters to export or compatibility.

kerning class¶

Id: kerning-class. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, transtype.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: class kerning.

A kerning class groups glyphs that need the same kerning. You put every glyph that behaves alike on one side into one class, then kern the class once instead of kerning each pair inside it. FontLab applies the class value to every member pair and keeps single pairs as exceptions where a member needs its own value. Classes matter because a text face carries thousands of readable pairs, and a hand kerned list of that size is unmaintainable. FontLab writes the result into GPOS as class based positioning.

Related: kerning, kerning pair, kern exception, GPOS.

kerning pair¶

Id: kerning-pair. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

A kerning pair associates two glyphs, or two kerning classes, with a spacing adjustment. In horizontal kerning, a negative value normally reduces the gap and a positive value increases it. An individual glyph pair may provide an exception to class kerning, but it can also exist without a class rule. Check pairs in representative text as well as in isolation.

mark attachment¶

Id: mark-attachment. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Mark attachment positions a combining mark relative to a base glyph, a ligature component or another mark. OpenType GPOS lookups describe the anchor relationships, and the shaping engine applies the positioning during layout. FontLab can generate attachment code from suitable anchors. Check the relevant generation settings and test combinations, including stacked marks, rather than assuming that every anchor automatically becomes a lookup.

Related: anchor, GPOS, lookup, composite glyph.

master¶

Id: master. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

A master provides source outlines and other font data at a specified location in a design space. Masters can describe weight, width or other variations, including intermediate locations. FontLab uses corresponding data from masters to calculate instances. For outline interpolation, check contour and point compatibility in each affected glyph; the word master alone does not guarantee that every glyph is present or compatible.

master compatibility¶

Id: master-compatibility. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Master compatibility is the condition every glyph must meet before it can interpolate: the same number of contours in the same order, with the same number of nodes and the same start point in each. FontLab reports incompatible glyphs and gives you Matchmaker to repair them by matching contours and start points between masters. Fix compatibility before you tune shapes, because a repair that reorders nodes moves every curve that depends on them.

Related: master, interpolation, Matchmaker, extremum.

metrics¶

Id: metrics. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, transtype.

Translatable: yes.

Metrics are the measurements that place a glyph in a line: its advance width and its two sidebearings. Vertical metrics are a separate set, the font wide values for ascender, descender, and line gap. You work on horizontal metrics in the Metrics panel and with the Metrics tool, and on vertical metrics in Font Info. Say which set you mean whenever a page discusses both, because a reader who applies a horizontal instruction to the vertical fields breaks line spacing everywhere the font is used.

sidebearing¶

Id: sidebearing. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: LSB, RSB, side bearing.

A sidebearing is the space between a glyph's outline and the edge of its advance width: the left sidebearing before the shape, the right sidebearing after it. Together with the advance width it sets how the glyph spaces against every other glyph, which is the work that carries a text face further than kerning does. You edit sidebearings in the Metrics panel or with the Metrics tool, one glyph at a time or across a selection, and you check them in a word rather than in isolation.

Related: advance width, metrics, kerning, tracking.

stem link¶

Id: stem-link. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: stem hint.

A stem link ties two edges of a stroke together as a stem, so hinting can hold their distance as the size changes. A vertical link governs a horizontal measurement and a horizontal link governs a vertical one. You add links in the glyph, either by hand or from an autohinting pass, and you keep them consistent with the standard stem widths declared in Font Info. Vextra reuses the term for the paired edges it detects in artwork that is not type.

Related: hinting, autohinting, stem, CVT table.

styling group name¶

Id: styling-group-name. Status: approved. Applies to: transtype.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: SGN, styling link value, SLV, styling link name, SLN.

The styling group name, SGN, ties together the styles an application reaches through its bold and italic buttons, and the styling link value and styling link name say which slot each style takes in that group. The mechanism is older than typographic family names and narrower: four slots, no more. You set these fields in TransType when a family has to behave correctly in applications that still drive style selection from those buttons.

tracking¶

Id: tracking. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, transtype.

Translatable: yes.

Tracking changes the spacing across a run of text, rather than correcting particular pairs as kerning does. Layout applications apply it to text. TransType's Tracking filter changes spacing in the font data itself. That changes the font's starting metrics; a layout application can still apply additional tracking to text set in the resulting font.

Related: kerning, sidebearing, metrics, TransType 5.

typographic family name¶

Id: typographic-family-name. Status: approved. Applies to: transtype, fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: TFN, typographic style name, TSN.

The typographic family name, TFN, is the name that groups every style of a family under one entry, and the typographic style name, TSN, is what distinguishes a style inside it. They sit beside the older four style family and style names that legacy applications read. You set them in TransType and in Font Info, and you keep them consistent across a family, because an app that reads these fields builds its font menu from them.

variable font¶

Id: variable-font. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

A variable font contains data for design variation along one or more axes. Applications select axis values and calculate the corresponding outlines and other variable data. Named instances identify selected locations, but users are not limited to those locations when the application exposes axis controls. A variable font's supported range depends on its data; it need not contain every style in the family.

Related: axis, master, instance, design space.

visual kerning¶

Id: visual-kerning. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Visual kerning is kerning that FontLab proposes by measuring the shapes, so that a font gets a usable first pass without a person typing thousands of values. You run it over a selection, then review what it produced, because a measurement of two outlines does not know about the words a reader will meet. Treat the result as a draft: keep the pairs it got right, correct the ones it did not, and kern the difficult pairs by eye in real words.

OpenType¶

Adobe Glyph List¶

Id: adobe-glyph-list. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: AGL.

The Adobe Glyph List maps standard glyph names to Unicode codepoints, so that a glyph named aacute is understood as U plus 00E1 by any tool that follows it. You name glyphs by it wherever it covers the character, because tools and text engines can then infer the mapping without being told twice. Where it does not cover a glyph, you fall back to a consistent scheme of your own and assign codepoints explicitly. Write the name in full on first mention, then AGL.

Related: glyph name, Unicode codepoint, cmap, glyph.

cmap¶

Id: cmap. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, transtype.

Translatable: no.

Also written: cmap table, cmap subtable.

The cmap table maps character codes to glyph indices. Its Unicode subtables provide the initial mapping used in text rendering; other subtables support particular encodings or variation sequences. FontLab generates these mappings from the project's encoding data. A glyph without its own Unicode assignment can still appear in typed text through substitution, such as a ligature or alternate selected by the shaping engine.

color font table¶

Id: color-font-table. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: COLR, CPAL, sbix, CBDT, CBLC.

Colour-font tables store data for colour glyph rendering. Formats include COLR with CPAL, SVG, sbix, and CBDT with CBLC. They differ in how they describe vector or bitmap content and in application support. Including several formats can extend coverage, but does not guarantee rendering in every application. Identify the exported formats and test the intended targets.

Related: SVG, OTF, cmap, OS/2 table.

contextual alternates¶

Id: contextual-alternates. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: calt.

Contextual alternates, the calt feature, cover substitutions an app makes because of what sits around a glyph rather than because a reader asked. In a script face the text engine replaces an entry stroke after a letter that already ends in one, and in a face with repeating shapes it replaces the second of a pair. You write the rules with context in feature code, and apps usually leave calt on by default, which makes it the feature most likely to surprise you when a rule is too broad.

feature code¶

Id: feature-code. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: FEA, feature file.

Feature code is the text syntax that describes OpenType features: classes, lookups, substitution and positioning rules, grouped into features by tag. It is usually called FEA, after the file extension. You edit it in the Features panel, compile it to check for errors, and keep it under the same review as the drawings, since a rule that fires on the wrong glyph is as visible as a wrong outline. FontLab compiles it into GSUB and GPOS at export.

fractions¶

Id: fractions. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: frac.

Fractions are numerical forms such as ½. In OpenType, the frac feature supports diagonal fraction composition through glyph substitution. A font may provide precomposed fraction glyphs, numerator and denominator forms, or both. The separate numr and dnom features provide numerator and denominator forms. Do not substitute the sups and subs feature names for these mechanisms or promise support for every input sequence without testing it.

glyph index¶

Id: glyph-index. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: Glyph ID, GID.

A glyph index is the number a glyph occupies in the font's own order, counting from zero. Text engines work in indices after the cmap has done its job, and binary tables reference glyphs by index rather than by name. You rarely set one by hand, but you meet it when you inspect a compiled font or debug a lookup that fires on the wrong glyph. The index depends on glyph order, so it changes when the order does.

Related: glyph name, cmap, lookup, Unicode codepoint.

glyph name¶

Id: glyph-name. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: no.

A glyph name identifies a glyph in an editing project, feature code or a tool's data. Names such as a, a.sc and a.alt can distinguish related drawings. They are separate from Unicode assignments and glyph indices, and need not survive in every exported format. After renaming a glyph, check references in feature code, classes and scripts, including references the editor cannot update automatically.

GPOS¶

Id: gpos. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

GPOS is the OpenType table that holds positioning: kerning, mark attachment, cursive attachment, and any rule that moves a glyph without replacing it. FontLab writes your kerning here, as pairs and as class based positioning, and builds the mark lookups from your anchors. You reach it through feature code rather than by editing the table. A font may also carry a legacy kern table; modern text engines read GPOS and many ignore the other.

Related: GSUB, kerning, mark attachment, lookup.

GSUB¶

Id: gsub. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

GSUB is the OpenType table containing glyph-substitution lookups. It supports operations such as replacing a glyph with an alternate, forming a ligature or selecting a form from its context. FontLab compiles feature code into these structures. To diagnose a missing substitution, check the glyphs, compiled rules, feature selection, language and shaping order in the target application.

ligature¶

Id: ligature. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

A ligature is a glyph used to represent a sequence of characters, such as fi. OpenType substitution can replace several glyphs with one ligature glyph. The liga and dlig features distinguish standard and discretionary ligatures. Shaping does not change the underlying text; whether a later document export preserves searchable text also depends on that export and its text mappings.

localized forms¶

Id: localized-forms. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: locl.

Localized forms are glyph variants selected for a text run's language. The OpenType locl feature can provide these substitutions, for example Bulgarian forms of Cyrillic letters. The shaping engine needs the relevant language information, which the application may obtain from a setting or other context. The substitution changes glyph selection, not the underlying characters or their codepoints.

lookup¶

Id: lookup. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

A lookup groups substitution or positioning rules of one type in GSUB or GPOS. Features reference lookups, and several features can share one. The shaping engine selects features and may process them in script-specific stages; within a stage, LookupList order matters. Source-code order alone does not describe the complete shaping sequence. Inspect the compiled tables and the target engine when diagnosing ordering problems.

Related: GSUB, GPOS, feature code, OpenType class.

oldstyle figures¶

Id: oldstyle-figures. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: onum, text figures.

Oldstyle figures are numerals with varying heights, often including forms with ascenders and descenders. The OpenType onum feature selects them when provided by the font. Figure height and figure width are separate choices: oldstyle figures can be proportional or tabular. Use tabular widths when numerals must align in columns, whether their forms are oldstyle or lining.

OpenType class¶

Id: opentype-class. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: glyph class, feature class.

An OpenType class is a named group of glyphs that feature code can address at once, written with an at sign before the name. One rule over two classes replaces a page of single rules, and one edit to a class reaches every rule that cites it. You define classes in the Classes panel or in feature code, and you keep their order stable, because a substitution between two classes pairs them by position. Kerning classes are a separate mechanism with the same idea.

Related: feature code, lookup, kerning class, GSUB.

OpenType feature¶

Id: opentype-feature. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: feature.

An OpenType feature identifies typographic behaviour through a four-character tag, such as liga, smcp or ss01. Feature records reference substitution or positioning lookups. In FontLab, you can write feature code and compile it into the font. Whether and when a feature is applied depends on the shaping engine, script, language and application settings; not every feature is a user-controlled switch.

Related: feature code, GSUB, GPOS, lookup.

OS/2 table¶

Id: os2-table. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, transtype.

Translatable: no.

The OS/2 table carries the font's metadata for applications: vertical metrics, weight and width classes, embedding permissions, the panose values, and the codepage and Unicode range bits that say what the font covers. You fill it from Font Info rather than by hand, and you check it before release, because a wrong weight class puts a font in the wrong slot in a menu and wrong vertical metrics change line spacing in every browser. Write it with the slash: OS/2.

Related: ascender, descender, cmap, OTF.

Private Use Area¶

Id: private-use-area. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: PUA.

A private-use area is one of three Unicode blocks whose codepoints can receive meanings by private agreement. Different fonts or systems may assign different meanings to the same private-use codepoint. Use a documented agreement when encoding custom symbols there. An alternate glyph reached through a feature does not require its own private-use assignment.

small caps¶

Id: small-caps. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: smcp, c2sc.

Small caps are capital shapes drawn at roughly lowercase height, with their own weight and width rather than scaled capitals. Apps apply the smcp feature to put them in place of lowercase letters, and c2sc to put them in place of capitals, so a run set in both features becomes uniform. You draw them as separate glyphs, usually with a dot sc suffix, and write both features. Scaled capitals look thin beside real text, which is the reason to draw them rather than let an app fake them.

stylistic set¶

Id: stylistic-set. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: ss01, ssXX.

A stylistic set is a numbered group of alternate glyphs a reader can switch on, from ss01 through ss20. Each set holds alternates that belong together: a single storey a with a matching g, a set of flat topped figures. You name each set in the font so an app can show a readable label instead of a number, and you keep one idea per set. A set that mixes unrelated alternates gives a reader nothing they can decide about.

tabular figures¶

Id: tabular-figures. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: tnum.

Tabular figures all carry the same advance width, so columns of numbers line up whatever digits they contain. Apps apply the tnum feature to put them in place of proportional figures. You draw them as a separate set and give every one the same width, centring the narrow digits inside it. They matter in any table, price list, or running total, and they look loose in prose, which is why a font offers both sets rather than choosing for the reader.

Unicode codepoint¶

Id: unicode-codepoint. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer.

Translatable: no.

Also written: codepoint, code point.

A Unicode codepoint is an integer from U+0000 to U+10FFFF. Not every codepoint has an assigned character. Write it with U+ and at least four hexadecimal digits, as in U+0041 for A. In a font editor, a glyph's Unicode assignment connects it to an encoded character; the exported cmap records the relevant mapping.

File formats¶

AI file¶

Id: ai-format. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-linestra, vexy-vextra, vexy-lines.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .ai.

An AI file is an Adobe Illustrator document, and it is the container the Vexy Illustrator plug-ins work inside. It holds paths, strokes, fills, appearances, and the live effects that a plug-in adds. You do not export an AI file from the plug-ins; you work in one. Write it as an AI file or an Illustrator document, never as an ai, and name Adobe Illustrator in full on first mention in the same document.

Related: Adobe Illustrator, AIP, Live Effect, SVG.

AIP¶

Id: aip. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-linestra, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .aip, Illustrator plug-in.

An AIP file is an Adobe Illustrator plug-in binary, and it is how Vexy Linestra and Vexy Vextra reach Illustrator. The filenames close up the product name, VexyLinestra.aip and VexyVextra.aip, while prose keeps the space. You copy the file into the Illustrator plug-ins folder, whose name the operating system may show translated, and restart Illustrator so it loads. Name the file exactly as it ships, since a renamed plug-in does not load.

FLREQ¶

Id: flreq. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, transtype.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .flreq, .fllic.

An FLREQ file is a licence request the application writes when a machine cannot reach the licensing service, and an FLLIC file is the response that activates it. You send the request from the machine that needs the licence, receive the response, and open it there. The pair exists for machines that stay offline, so name both files in a procedure that uses either, and say which machine each step happens on.

Fog.net¶

Id: fog-net. Status: approved. Applies to: fontographer.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .fog, fognet.

Fog.net is Fontographer's project data format, and fognet is the Python module that reads and writes it from a script. A project file carries the extension .fog. You meet the format when you script against a project or move one between machines, rather than in ordinary editing, where the dashboard handles saving. The module name is lowercase, as Python module names are, and it goes in code font wherever it appears in prose.

Related: Fontographer, GlyphRef, VFC, Dream Up.

Glyphs file¶

Id: glyphs-format. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .glyphs.

A Glyphs file is the source format of the Glyphs editor, and FontLab reads and writes it so that a project can move between the two. It holds masters, glyphs, metrics, and features in one text file. You use it when a collaborator works in the other editor, and you check the result after the trip, because two editors model masters and components in ways that do not correspond exactly. Write it as a Glyphs file, not as a glyphs.

Related: UFO, VFC, master, component.

Lines file¶

Id: lines-format. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-lines.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .lines.

A Lines file is the native document of Vexy Lines, holding the source image, the fills applied to it, and the settings that produced the result. You save to it while you work and export vector artwork when you are finished, because the export keeps the result and not the recipe. Write it as a Lines file with a capital L when you name the format, and as the extension in lowercase with a dot when you mean the file suffix.

Related: Vexy Lines, SVG, fill mode, AI file.

OTF¶

Id: otf. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, transtype, fontographer.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .otf, OpenType CFF.

OTF is the usual filename extension for an OpenType font with PostScript outlines. These use cubic curves stored in CFF or CFF2 data. State the outline flavour when it matters: OpenType fonts with TrueType outlines also support OpenType layout features. The .otf extension alone does not establish which features, colour formats or variation capabilities a font contains.

Related: TTF, WOFF2, VFC, hinting.

SVG¶

Id: svg-format. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-lines, vexy-playlines.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .svg.

SVG is the vector graphics format, and it names two different things in this documentation: a graphic file that a drawing tool exports, and the SVG table inside a colour font. Say which you mean. You export SVG artwork from the Vexy products, and you meet the SVG table when you build a colour font in FontLab. A sentence that says SVG support without saying which one leaves a reader to guess.

Related: color font table, AI file, Lines file, OTF.

TTC¶

Id: ttc. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, transtype.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .ttc, TrueType Collection.

TTC is the usual filename extension for a TrueType font collection: several fonts stored in one file. Collection members can share tables, reducing duplication where their data is identical. A collection is a packaging format, not an interpolation model. Distinguish its individual fonts from named instances within a variable font.

Related: TTF, OTF, TransType 5, font target.

TTF¶

Id: ttf. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, transtype, fontographer.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .ttf, TrueType.

TTF is the usual filename extension for a font with TrueType outlines, which use quadratic curves. An OpenType TTF can contain layout features and variation data. Exporting cubic source outlines to this flavour requires curve conversion, which can change the point structure and approximate the original geometry. Check the exported outlines at the intended sizes.

Related: OTF, WOFF2, CVT table, variable font.

Type 1¶

Id: type-1. Status: deprecated. Applies to: fontlab, transtype.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .pfb, .pfa, PostScript Type 1.

Type 1 is an older PostScript outline-font format. It remains relevant when opening archived fonts or explaining conversion workflows. Support depends on the application and version, so identify the target when discussing compatibility. Converting a Type 1 font to OpenType does not automatically supply missing Unicode mappings or new layout features.

Related: OTF, VFB, TransType 5, conversion profile.

UFO¶

Id: ufo. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .ufo, .ufoz.

UFO, Unified Font Object, is an open source-font format. UFO 3 stores glyph layers, font information, kerning, groups and optional feature code in a directory package or ZIP archive. It also allows images and application-specific data. Interchange depends on what both applications support; a UFO export does not by itself guarantee that every editor-specific property survives.

Related: VFC, VFJ, Glyphs file, OTF.

VFB¶

Id: vfb. Status: deprecated. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .vfb.

VFB is the native source format of FontLab Studio 5. FontLab 8 can open and export it, but the format cannot represent every feature of a FontLab 8 project. Use VFC or VFJ for ongoing work in FontLab 8. Name VFB when explaining migration or an exchange workflow that requires the older format, and check the exported result for unsupported data.

Related: VFC, VFJ, FontLab Studio 5, UFO.

VFC¶

Id: vfc. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .vfc.

VFC is FontLab's native binary format, and the one you work in. It holds everything the editor knows: masters, elements, references, anchors, kerning, features, and the project settings that no font format carries. You save to it while you design and export to OTF or TTF when you ship. Write the format in capitals when you name it and in lowercase with a dot when you mean the extension. Its sibling VFJ stores the same content as text.

Related: VFJ, VFB, OTF, UFO.

VFJ¶

Id: vfj. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .vfj.

VFJ is FontLab's JSON source format. It provides a text representation of a FontLab project for workflows that need readable or scriptable data. Use it as a source format, not an installable font. When exchanging files between FontLab versions or external tools, check that the receiving tool supports the data the project uses.

Related: VFC, VFB, UFO, fontlab (Python module).

WOFF2¶

Id: woff2. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, transtype.

Translatable: no.

Also written: .woff2, .woff, WOFF.

WOFF2 is a compressed font format for web delivery. Its encoding uses font-specific transformations and Brotli compression. Export it for web use and test the resulting font in the target browsers. The size saving depends on the source font and its contents; do not promise a fixed reduction or infer available features from the extension.

Related: OTF, TTF, variable font, OS/2 table.

Interface¶

Brush¶

Id: brush. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-lines.

Translatable: yes.

The Brush tool draws a stroke freehand, and what the stroke becomes differs by product. In FontLab and Fontographer the Brush keeps the path you drew as a centreline and generates the thick outline from it, so the drawing stays editable until you expand it into ordinary contours. In Vexy Lines the Brush paints masks by hand, and a mask decides where a layer's fills can draw rather than being artwork itself. Name the application in any sentence where a reader could take one tool for the other.

Shared term: FontLab and Fontographer: a calligraphic drawing tool that keeps the drawn path as a centreline and generates the outline from it, becoming ordinary contours only when you expand it. FontLab adds a Brush panel for angle and width; Fontographer groups Brush with Pencil and Thickness on one toolbar button. Vexy Lines: a tool that paints masks freehand, not artwork. Name the app and say what the stroke becomes.

Related: Knife, contour, Fills, element, Masks.

dialog¶

Id: dialog. Status: approved. Applies to: all.

Translatable: yes.

A dialog presents information, settings or a question for a particular interaction. A modal dialog restricts interaction with its parent until it is dismissed; a modeless dialog does not. Use the application's established name and reproduce its button labels exactly. If a procedure opens a dialog, explain the relevant choices and how to apply or cancel them.

Related: panel, property bar, Transform.

Eraser¶

Id: eraser. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

The Eraser removes or simplifies points on a contour. In FontLab, its modes remove nodes and handles, select points for removal, or simplify a path. In Vexy Vextra, normal Eraser removes covered points; Soft Eraser removes a node only when a replacement curve is close enough to the original. That does not guarantee an identical outline. In Fontographer, Eraser shares a grouped toolbar button with Trowel. Name the application and mode when describing an operation.

Shared term: FontLab and Vexy Vextra use Eraser for point removal and contour cleanup. Their modes and controls differ. Vextra's Soft Eraser uses a closeness test rather than promising exact shape preservation. Fontographer groups Eraser with Trowel, so a procedure needs to identify the active mode.

Related: Pencil, Knife, node, contour, Scissors.

Fills¶

Id: fills. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-lines, vexy-linestra, vexy-playlines.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: fill, fill mode.

In FontLab, the Fill tool sets enclosed regions as filled or unfilled by changing contour direction or applying a live Fill filter. In Vexy Lines, Linestra and Playlines, a fill mode is a method for generating artwork from an image, such as Halftone or Stipple. Name the application and distinguish the tool, the filled region and the generative mode.

Shared term: FontLab: the Fill tool controls which regions appear opaque or transparent. Vexy Lines, Linestra and Playlines: a fill mode generates artwork from a source image. Use the product name when either meaning could be intended.

FontAudit¶

Id: fontaudit. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

FontAudit is the FontLab panel that inspects outlines and reports the problems a proof will show later: unclosed contours, wrong winding directions, missing extreme nodes, near vertical segments, and the like. You run it over a glyph or a selection, read the findings, and fix what matters for the design rather than clearing every warning. The name is one word with two capitals, and it names a panel, so write the FontAudit panel on first mention.

Related: winding direction, extremum, contour, panel.

Groups¶

Id: groups. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, transtype, vexy-lines, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: group, styling group.

A group collects several things and treats them as one, and the things differ by product. In FontLab the word most often means a kerning group, the set of glyphs that kern alike, which the documentation also calls a kerning class. In Vexy Vextra, following Illustrator, a group is selected artwork bound into one object. In Vexy Lines a group bundles layers and carries its own source image, working like a folder. TransType adds a styling group that ties a family's styles into a menu. Say which you mean.

Shared term: FontLab: a kerning group, the same idea as a kerning class. Vexy Vextra and Illustrator: artwork bound into a single object. Vexy Lines: a bundle of layers that carries its own source image and behaves like a folder in the Layers panel, with the document itself as the top-level group. TransType: a styling group that links the styles of a family. When context does not establish the sense, write kerning group, artwork group, layer group, or styling group.

Knife¶

Id: knife. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-lines, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

The Knife tool works along a line you drag across a shape, and what it leaves behind differs by product and by sub-tool. In FontLab it adds nodes where the line crosses a contour, breaks a closed contour into open paths, or slices one contour into two closed shapes, depending on which of its three sub-tools is active. In Fontographer it cuts through contours along the drawn path. In Vexy Lines it inserts points and splits curves. Say which app, which mode, and what the cut leaves.

Shared term: FontLab: one tool with three sub-tools, Add nodes, Break contour, and Slice contour, so only Slice leaves two closed shapes and Break leaves open paths. Fontographer: cuts through contours along a drawn path, sharing the grouped cutting toolbar button with Scissors, and it can create more geometry than you expect. Vexy Lines: inserts points and splits curves on Handmade fills and mask contours. Vexy Vextra: adds nodes and breaks a path at a node. Name the app and the mode.

Related: Brush, contour, Transform, node, Scissors.

Layers¶

Id: layers. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-lines, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: layer, Layers and Masters.

Layers hold the separate drawings a glyph or a document carries at once. In FontLab a glyph layer holds one master, a mask, or a background, and you manage them in the Layers and Masters panel, where switching layers switches which drawing you edit. In Vexy Lines a layer is a transparent sheet holding one or more fills, and it is the basic unit of a document, since artwork needs at least one. The two meanings sit close enough to be mistaken, so a sentence about layers names the application.

Shared term: FontLab: a layer of a glyph, holding a master, a mask, or a background, listed in the Layers and Masters panel. Vexy Lines: a transparent sheet holding one or more fills, the basic unit of a document, and the thing a group bundles. Vexy Vextra, following Illustrator: a stacking level of artwork. Name the app in any sentence where a reader could take one for the other.

Related: Masks, master, element, Groups, Fills.

Masks¶

Id: masks. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-lines.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: mask, mask layer.

A mask holds a second drawing, and what it does with that drawing differs by product. In FontLab a mask is a glyph layer carrying a previous version or a reference shape, so you can compare the live outline against it and copy between them; it hides nothing. In Vexy Lines a mask is a vector stencil that decides where a layer's fills can draw, letting the fill through its transparent areas and holding it back elsewhere. Name the application, and in FontLab prefer the full phrase mask layer.

Shared term: FontLab: a mask is a glyph layer carrying a reference drawing you edit against, and it conceals nothing. Vexy Lines: a mask is a stencil that decides where a layer's fills can draw, so its transparent areas reveal and its opaque areas hold back. Illustrator's clipping mask is a third sense again. Name the application when the surrounding context does not establish the intended sense.

Related: Layers, master, element, contour, Fills.

Matchmaker¶

Id: matchmaker. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

Matchmaker is a FontLab tool for examining and correcting correspondence between glyph masters. It helps align contour order and start points for interpolation. Matching structures does not guarantee that intermediate outlines look right. Inspect the resulting interpolation; changing contour order or a start point can change correspondence without changing the outline's geometry at the master location.

panel¶

Id: panel. Status: approved. Applies to: all.

Translatable: yes.

A panel groups related controls or information within an application's interface. It may be docked or floating, depending on the application. Use its displayed name followed by panel in lowercase, as in the Kerning panel. Distinguish panels, windows, dialogs and panes by their role and established product terminology, not solely by whether they float, dock or contain tabs.

Related: property bar, dialog, Layers, Transform.

Pencil¶

Id: pencil. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-lines, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

The Pencil tool draws freehand, and what it draws on differs by product. In FontLab it converts a freehand gesture into curves and line segments without asking you to think about node types. In Fontographer it is one of three outline drawing tools, beside Pen and Rapid. In Vexy Lines it creates and edits Handmade fills as vector lines. In Vexy Vextra it is the Correcting Pencil, which redraws part of an existing path as readily as it starts a new one.

Shared term: FontLab and Fontographer: a freehand tool that draws glyph contours, grouped in Fontographer with Brush and Thickness on one toolbar button. Vexy Lines: draws the vector lines of a Handmade fill. Vexy Vextra: the Correcting Pencil, which redraws part of an existing path rather than only starting a new one. Name the app, and in Vextra use the full name Correcting Pencil.

Related: Brush, Knife, Eraser, contour, Fills.

Power Nudge¶

Id: power-nudge. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

Power Nudge distributes a move through a larger part of a contour by adjusting other nodes as well as the selected ones. FontLab and Vextra provide this editing mode. It differs from Nudge, which adjusts nearby handles. Power Nudge changes the geometry; inspect the result rather than promising an exactly preserved outline or a finished curve.

Related: node, handle, Tunni line, Smart Corner.

property bar¶

Id: property-bar. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: yes.

The property bar is FontLab's context-sensitive strip of controls for the current tool or selection. Name the required selection or tool before referring to a control that appears only in that context. Use property bar for this product element; do not invent a universal rule that all toolbars have fixed contents.

Related: panel, dialog, node, Transform.

Remove Overlap¶

Id: remove-overlap. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

Remove Overlap combines overlapping filled contour regions and removes their internal boundaries. It changes contour structure, so keep an editable source when the construction matters. Variable fonts can contain overlaps; removing them independently from masters can break point correspondence and interpolation. Apply the command or export option for the intended format and workflow, rather than treating it as mandatory for every font.

Scissors¶

Id: scissors. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

The Scissors tool works on the joins in a path, and what it does with them differs by product. In FontLab it disconnects nodes into overlapping contours, creates overlaps, adds simple ink traps, and builds looped corners, with a toolbox of sub-tools under the Q shortcut. In Fontographer it breaks contours at selected points or segments, the targeted counterpart to Knife. In Vexy Vextra it extends and rebuilds path parts, building loop corners and joining open ends.

Shared term: FontLab: disconnects nodes, creates overlaps, adds ink traps, and builds looped corners. Fontographer: breaks a contour at a chosen point or segment, sharing the grouped cutting toolbar button with Knife. Vexy Vextra: extends and rebuilds path parts, joining open ends and building loop corners rather than only cutting. The name suggests cutting in every app and means something different in each, so name the app.

Related: Knife, node, contour, Eraser, Pencil.

Sigma¶

Id: sigma. Status: approved. Applies to: fontographer.

Translatable: no.

Sigma is the Fontographer tool for variable font interpolation paths, sitting in the toolbar beside Transform and Meter. You use it to work with how a design moves through its variation space rather than to edit a single outline. The name is a single capitalized word and it does not take the word tool inside its name: write the Sigma tool. It is a Fontographer term with no counterpart in the other products.

Sketchboard¶

Id: sketchboard. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab.

Translatable: no.

The Sketchboard is FontLab's unlimited canvas, a working surface where you can place glyphs, drawings, and reference images side by side outside the fixed frame of a glyph window. You use it to compare shapes, to sketch before committing, and to lay out material that has no single glyph to live in. The name is one word, capital S, and it is a FontLab term: no other product in the family has the surface or the word.

Related: panel, element, glyph, Layers.

Smart Corner¶

Id: smart-corner. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: Smart Corners.

A Smart Corner is a live treatment applied at a node, so a corner can be rounded, cut, or turned into an ink trap without the outline being redrawn. The treatment stays editable: change the value and the corner updates, and the underlying contour keeps its nodes. You apply it at the node rather than to the whole contour. FontLab groups it with Ink Traps among its live filters, and Vextra carries the same name.

Related: node, Power Nudge, contour, Live Effect.

Transform¶

Id: transform. Status: approved. Applies to: fontlab, fontographer, vexy-lines, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

Transform moves, scales, rotates, slants, or flips a selection. In FontLab the Transform panel applies a numeric transformation to glyphs, elements, or a selection, and it can run across a whole font. In Fontographer the Transform tool sits in the toolbar beside Meter and Sigma. In Vexy Lines the Transform tool manipulates artwork on the canvas. A panel, a tool, and a tool again: name the app and name the surface.

Shared term: FontLab: the Transform panel, a numeric transformation applied to a selection or across a font. Fontographer and Vexy Lines: a Transform tool on the canvas. Say whether you mean the panel or the tool, and name the application, since the same word points at three different surfaces.

Related: Knife, Layers, Groups, element.

Vector drawing¶

Appearance panel¶

Id: appearance-panel. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-linestra, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

The Appearance panel is Illustrator's list of what is applied to the selected object: its fills, its strokes, and its live effects, in the order they stack. You send a reader there to confirm that a Vexy effect is present, to reorder it against a stroke, or to remove it. It belongs to Illustrator rather than to our products, so its name keeps Illustrator's capitalization and never takes a short form of our making.

autotrace¶

Id: autotrace. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-lines, vexy-vextra, vexy-playlines.

Translatable: yes.

Autotrace converts a bitmap into vector paths by finding the edges in the image and fitting curves to them. The result depends on what you feed it: a clean, high contrast source traces well, and a soft or noisy one produces nodes nobody wants to edit. You prepare the image first, trace, then simplify. Tracing to outlines gives closed shapes with two edges, and tracing to centerlines gives single paths with a stroke.

centerline¶

Id: centerline. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-lines, vexy-linestra, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

A centerline runs down the middle of a stroke rather than around its edge, so the result is a single path with a stroke weight instead of a closed outline. Tracing to centerlines suits line art, engravings, and anything that was drawn as strokes in the first place. You choose it over outline tracing when the artwork will be scaled or restroked later, since a centerline keeps one editable path where an outline gives you two edges to maintain.

Related: contour, stroke, autotrace, tonal map.

Fill Grid¶

Id: fill-grid. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-linestra.

Translatable: yes.

The Fill Grid is the area of the Linestra panel where you choose a fill mode from a grid of previews. Below it sit the parameter rows, which hold Thickness, Spacing, Angle, Organic, Brightness, Contrast, and Source Levels. You pick in the grid first, because the parameter rows change with the mode you choose. Both words are capitalized: it is a named part of the interface rather than a description of a grid.

Related: fill mode, Vexy Linestra, panel, Fills.

fill mode¶

Id: fill-mode. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-lines, vexy-linestra, vexy-playlines.

Translatable: yes.

A fill mode is one of the named techniques that turn a source image into line work: Linear, Wave, Circular, Spiral, Halftone, Stipple, Hex, Contour, Low-Poly, Dither, Wireframe, Fractal, String Art, and ASCII among them. Each reads the brightness of the source and lays down geometry accordingly. You pick a mode, then tune its parameters. Write the mode name with its own capitalization and the words fill mode in lowercase after it.

Related: Fills, Fill Grid, tonal map, centerline.

G2 continuity¶

Id: g2-continuity. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

G2 continuity means two segments meet with matching curvature, not merely with matching direction. G1 keeps the tangent continuous and can still show a break in the reflection where the curvature jumps. G2 removes that break. Vextra marks G2 nodes and can enforce the condition as you edit. You reach for it on long, shallow curves and on shapes that will be seen large, where the eye finds a curvature break that it would miss at text size.

Related: node, handle, Tunni line, segment.

Live Effect¶

Id: live-effect. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-linestra, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

A Live Effect is an Illustrator effect that stays editable on the object it is applied to, listed in the Appearance panel and recalculated whenever the artwork beneath it changes. Vexy Linestra runs as one, so its fills follow the source artwork rather than freezing into it. You apply it from the Effect menu, under Vexy, and you expand it only when you need the result as plain paths. Expanding ends the link.

stroke¶

Id: stroke. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-lines, vexy-linestra, vexy-vextra.

Translatable: yes.

A stroke is the line drawn along a path, with a weight, a colour, and an alignment that puts it inside, outside, or centred on the path. It is not the fill, which covers the area the path encloses. You set stroke weight and alignment in Illustrator and the Vexy plug-ins generate stroked paths as their output. In type design the same word means a main part of a letter, so name the context when both senses could apply.

Related: centerline, Fills, contour, Live Effect.

tonal map¶

Id: tonal-map. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-lines, vexy-linestra, vexy-playlines.

Translatable: yes.

Also written: tonal value.

A tonal map is the reading of brightness across a source image that a fill uses to decide where to put geometry. Dark areas widen a strip or crowd a pattern; light areas narrow or thin it. You control the mapping with the Brightness, Contrast, and Source Levels rows, which change what counts as dark before any geometry is drawn. Adjust the map rather than the fill when the result is uniformly too heavy or too sparse.

Related: fill mode, centerline, autotrace, Fills.

Tunni line¶

Id: tunni-line. Status: approved. Applies to: vexy-vextra.

Translatable: no.

Also written: Tunni control, pill.

A Tunni line joins the two handles of a curve segment, with a control on it that Vextra draws as a pill. Drag the control and both handles move in proportion, so the depth of the curve changes without its balance changing. You use it when a curve is the right shape but the wrong fullness, which is the correction that is slowest to make one handle at a time. Named after Eduardo Tunni, so keep the capital T.

Related: handle, node, G2 continuity, segment.