Font Editor Programs
âÂ?¢ Font Lab Studio – Font Lab Studio is a high end font editor designed for font foundries, typographers, graphic design studios and professional type designers. This comprehensive program allows users to design type and create and modify fonts on either a Macintosh or Windows based machine. This software comes complete with drawing tools, vector paint tools, Type 1 hinting, font metrics and kerning, Unicode support, OpenType support, Font Header editor, Multiple Masters, Asian Fonts, Complex script fonts, blended fonts, macro language and a customizable user interface.
âÂ?¢ Fontographer – Another product from Font Lab is Fontographer, a font editor for desktop publishing. Whether you want to expand your existing fonts or create a font, Fontographer is a user friendly tool for the novice to the professional alike. With this software, you can generate PostScript Type 1 and Type 3 fonts, TrueType fonts, and Multiple Masters fonts for either Macintosh or Windows platforms.
âÂ?¢ TypeTool – Looking for something a little more basic? Font Lab’s Type Tool is designed more for the student of typographer hobbyist. Priced at under $100, this tool allows you to make your own fonts, hint and kern your fonts, create dingbats and clipart fonts, convert Adobe Type 1 and TrueType fonts, and edit fonts.
âÂ?¢ Font Creator – High Logic’s Font Creator boasts over 2 million downloads and claims to be the most popular shareware font editor on the internet. It allows for the creation and editing of TrueType or OpenType fonts. One handy feature is the ability to transform a font into another version for example, a bold version. In addition, it allows you to import a signature or a logo and incorporate it into an existing font without having to buy a separate utility.
âÂ?¢ Cr8Type – An inexpensive little program for designing or editing TrueType fonts on a Windows based machine. It features snap to grid and zoon on its large screen editing window, allows for transformations of glyphs, composites or contours and features a wizard for the automation of creating accented glyphs.
âÂ?¢ Microsoft Visual True Type – A professional hinting tool for both Windows and Macintosh platforms from Microsoft. While this tool is not intended as a font creation tool, it does offer fine control of glyph outlines. This is an advanced program for advanced design professionals.
Bitmap Font Editors
âÂ?¢ BitFonter 2 – Bit Fonter 2 by Font Lab is a professional tool for editing bitmap fonts. This program is currently available only for the Macintosh though a Windows version is in the works. BitFonter 2 is designed for manufacturers of electronic devices and web designers to create or modify bitmap fonts for use in web pages, print, computer games, animations and electronics.
âÂ?¢ Bitmap Font Edit – This entry level bitmap font editor features drawing tools and automatic special effects that allow for the creation of bitmap fonts. The resulting images can be saved in tiled 5×12 characters or as a single tile strip with each character side by side.
âÂ?¢ Xara Xtreme – This program is a graphics program with features for working with photos, illustrations and creating web graphics. The web graphics section allows for creation of buttons, icons, navigation bars and even animated GIFs. Its Bitmap Tracer can convert bitmaps into editable vector shapes.
