# How do I make a font?



## Howard Stern (Jan 25, 2005)

Okay, since I can't find any Cyrillic cursive fonts on the web, then I guess I'll have to make one myself.  But I'm not sure on how to go about creating a font.  I need to know how to do this.  I don't know which software applications to use.  Can I use Illustrator?

I'm running on a G3 500 384RAM & OS X.1.5


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## chevy (Jan 25, 2005)

Did you check http://www.fontsearchengine.com/cgi-bin/csvsearch.pl?search=Cyrillic&method=exact ?


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## CaptainQuark (Jan 25, 2005)

I'm not sure there are any font creation packages for OS X. If you have a dual-boot Mac and can boot into OS 9, you can try Macromedia Fontographer (if that's even on sale these days!). Fontographer can create PostScript® Type 1 fonts and TrueType fonts for both Mac and PC. 

It is, of course, illegal to adapt an existing copyrighted font, but that's not a problem as you will be creating your own from scratch  I hope!

Illustrator cannot create fonts. Depending on the amount of text you need, you could conceivably convert the roman version of a font to paths and slant it in Illustrator *but that would be oblique, not cursive. You can create the basic letter shapes in Illustrator, save them out as EPS files and then import them into Fontographer to create a font, but Illustrator itself canot handle the technologies required to make a Type 1 or TrueType font.


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## Natobasso (Jan 25, 2005)

There are font creation programs for OS X. Start here to look:

http://cgm.cs.mcgill.ca/~luc/editors.html

 Wish I could remember the name of the one I'm most familiar with


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## Arden (Jan 25, 2005)

Here's one.

And here's another! Omigawd!


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## Natobasso (Jan 25, 2005)

Nice. For some reason these didn't come up in my google search.


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## Howard Stern (Jan 26, 2005)

I checked out that link Chevy; I didn't find any cursive ones.  I can't believe that there's not any out there.  If only I could read and speak Russian a lot better, then maybe I would check out some .ru websites.  But I'll go ahead and try those programs that you guys were talking about.  If I don't find any freeware first.  

Are there any freeware in which I can create a font?  The ones that you guys mentioned cost money no?


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## g/re/p (Jan 26, 2005)

Are you  Howard Stern the shock jock - the one from the 
howard stern show?


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## Arden (Jan 27, 2005)

Natobasso said:
			
		

> Nice. For some reason these didn't come up in my google search.


 That's odd, these are probably two of the biggest programs out there, for Mac at least.


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## CaptainQuark (Jan 27, 2005)

Arden said:
			
		

> And here's another! Omigawd!



That is the Fontographer that I mentioned in my original post. They don't do an OS X version and it doesn't work properly in Classic mode, therefore, as I mentioned earlier, he would have to boot into OS 9.


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## gdekadt (Jan 27, 2005)

There's a tech note on the Fontographer system reqiurements that details the need  to install the non-FPU version of the program to enable it to work in Classic...

(I wish I could remember who "borrowed" my copy of the Freehand Graphics Studio all those years back. Freehand 5.5, xRes (anyone remember xRes?), Extreme 3D and Fonotographer all on one CD! Magic.)

Gabs


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## CaptainQuark (Jan 27, 2005)

Fontographer WILL run OK under Classic  if, as you mentioned, you install the non-FPU version  but the fonts that you create don't work in OS X. Believe me  I've tried. 

We have a G4 set up with OS 9 just for handling fonts  and scanning, as the version of Silverfast that we use is OS 9 only and the swine want to extort HUGE amounts of money from us to upgrade to the OS X version.


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## Howard Stern (Jan 28, 2005)

Well if it wont work for OS X then I guess I'll have to make a .ttf font on my PC then and just put it onto my OS X system.  Because TTF fontswork on OS X yeah?



oh...

and Yes, g/re/p

I am really Howard Stern


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## Natobasso (Jan 28, 2005)

Not necessarily (true type fonts in OS X have .tt as a .extension, I think). I am going to do a test on this with a client; he's sending me a PC font because his company logo and letterhead use it, but I haven't found an apple font yet that's 100%. Only one font is close.


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## gdekadt (Jan 29, 2005)

OS X can handle PC true-type fonts. This feature's been around for over four years and was one of the OS X things that were very [cool]. I've only had to use PC true types a couple of times (in InDesign) and had no problems.

I still want my copy of Fontographer back though...

Blub blub blub, 

Gabs


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## CaptainQuark (Jan 29, 2005)

I stand corrected.


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## gdekadt (Feb 2, 2005)

Now that this thread is cold and as a by-the-way...
I just had to dig out an old job only to find that one of the fonts used had become corrupt. Tried Suitacase and FontDoctor to fix it - no joy. So tried to see if I could find an old backup copy of Fontographer. Luckily - there it was -  Fontographer v4.1.4 - on an eight year old backup CD. And it worked. It seems the problem was with the bitmap suitcase - which was easily regenerated. Not exactly a full test of Fontographer running in Classic - but good for me in a tight spot. Which was nice.

Gabs


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## CaptainQuark (Feb 2, 2005)

Yeah. I too found that Fontographer running under Classic could occasionally fix problems with the .bmap file. It was the printer font file that didn't work.


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## g/re/p (Feb 10, 2005)

Howard Stern said:
			
		

> Well if it wont work for OS X then I guess I'll have to make a .ttf font on my PC then and just put it onto my OS X system.  Because TTF fontswork on OS X yeah?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



oh, OK - cool

I just recently saw your "auto-biographical" movie on tv,
and it helped me to understand why you do what you do.

Now i don't think you are a jerk anymore!

hahahahahahahahahaha!


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