FontEdit Essentials: Tools, Techniques, and Best Practices

FontEdit Pro Tips: Speed Up Your Typeface Workflow

Efficient typeface editing saves time and improves design quality. Below are targeted, practical tips to streamline your workflow in FontEdit, whether you’re refining a retail family or tweaking a single logo glyph.

1. Organize projects with a consistent file structure

• Project root: Keep source sketches, reference images, final .feproj files, exports, and notes in predictable folders.
• Version folders: Save major iterations (v1, v2) to avoid accidental overwrites and to compare progress quickly.

2. Create and reuse master components

• Component glyphs: Build commonly reused shapes (stems, bowls, serifs) as components. Reuse them across glyphs to maintain consistency and speed up edits.
• Smart components: Convert frequently adjusted parts into smart components with adjustable parameters (width, contrast) to apply rapid global changes.

3. Use robust naming and metrics conventions

• Glyph naming: Follow industry-standard names (e.g., “A”, “ae”, “uniXXXX”) so scripts and exports work smoothly.
• Metric templates: Save baseline, x-height, cap-height, and sidebearing presets. Apply templates to new glyphs to start with correct proportions.

4. Leverage smart shortcuts and custom hotkeys

• Custom hotkeys: Map common actions (join, break, smooth, toggle grid) to keys you use frequently.
• Macro sequences: Record repetitive sequences—for example, auto-hint → auto-kern → export—and run them on groups of glyphs.

5. Work in optical groups and use components for spacing

• Optical groups: Group glyphs with similar shapes (e.g., round vs. upright) and apply spacing rules per group instead of per glyph.
• Component-based spacing: When glyphs share components, adjust sidebearings at the component level so related glyphs update automatically.

6. Automate kerning and use class-based kerning

• Class kerning: Create kerning classes (e.g., A-left, T-right) so pair adjustments apply broadly.
• Auto-kerning with review: Use FontEdit’s auto-kerning to generate a baseline, then quickly scan and fix outliers rather than hand-kern every pair.

7. Use preview layers and layout tests early

• Text previews: Regularly test glyphs in multisize paragraph previews to catch spacing or weight issues not obvious in single-glyph view.
• Overlay references: Keep original sketches or reference fonts as a toggleable layer to compare shapes at 100% scale.

8. Optimize Bézier workflows

• Node reduction: Use “simplify path” with conservative thresholds; fewer nodes equal smoother outlines and easier kerning.
• Consistent direction and winding: Standardize contour directions and even–odd/winding rules to avoid export issues.

9. Batch export and format presets

• Export presets: Save presets for TTF, OTF, WOFF2 with preferred hinting and subsetting options.
• Batch runs: Export multiple weights/styles in one job to catch generation errors early and ensure consistent naming.

10. Integrate version control and QA checks

• Git or LFS for binaries: Track .feproj source files (or compatible source formats) in version control to revert mistakes.
• QA checklist: Automate checks for missing diacritics, wrong anchors, overlapping contours, and metric outliers before final export.

11. Collaborate with shared libraries and feedback tools

• Shared component libraries: Host commonly used components and templates in a shared library for team projects.
• In-app commenting: Use FontEdit’s commenting or external tooling (Figma, Slack) for design reviews; link screenshots to specific glyphs for precise feedback.

12. Learn and extend with scripting

• Scripting basics: Learn FontEdit’s scripting API to automate repetitive tasks (batch renaming, metrics normalization).
• Community scripts: Reuse or adapt community scripts for common jobs—most small scripts save hours across a project.

Quick workflow example (recommended sequence)

1. Set up project folder and metric template.
2. Import sketches and create components.
3. Build core character set with components and metrics.
4. Apply class-based spacing and auto-kerning.
5. Run batch simplification and QA scripts.
6. Preview in layout and adjust optical groups.
7. Export all formats with presets and run final QA.

Conclusion

• Focus on reusability: components, classes, templates, and scripts.
• Automate what’s repetitive; human attention should be on design decisions.
• Regularly run previews and QA to catch issues early.

Apply these tips incrementally—pick two or three to adopt this week—and you’ll notice measurable speed and consistency improvements in your FontEdit workflow.