Static Fonts

Convert variable fonts to static fonts.

Overview

Static fonts are traditional fonts with fixed designs. Converting a variable font to static creates a snapshot at specific coordinates.

When to Use Static Fonts

• Legacy Compatibility — Older systems that don't support variable fonts
• Performance — Smaller file size for single weights
• Simplicity — No need for variation handling
• Distribution — Some platforms don't support variable fonts

Creating Static Fonts

At Default Coordinates

# Create static font at default variation
fontisan convert variable.ttf --to ttf --output static.ttf

At Specific Coordinates

# Create static bold font
fontisan instance variable.ttf --wght 700 --output bold-static.ttf

Remove Variation Data

# Explicitly remove variation tables
fontisan convert variable.ttf --to ttf --no-preserve-variation --output static.ttf

API Usage

Default Coordinates

font = Fontisan::FontLoader.load('variable.ttf')

# Generate at default (empty hash = all default values)
writer = Fontisan::Variation::InstanceWriter.new(font)
static_font = writer.generate_instance({})

Fontisan::FontWriter.write(static_font, 'static.ttf')

Specific Coordinates

# Generate static at specific coordinates
static_bold = writer.generate_instance(wght: 700)
Fontisan::FontWriter.write(static_bold, 'bold-static.ttf')

# Generate static with multiple axes
static_condensed_bold = writer.generate_instance(wght: 700, wdth: 75)
Fontisan::FontWriter.write(static_condensed_bold, 'condensed-bold.ttf')

What Gets Removed

When creating a static font, these tables are removed:

Table	Status
fvar	Removed
gvar	Removed
CFF2	Converted to CFF
avar	Removed
HVAR	Applied to hmtx, removed
VVAR	Applied to vmtx, removed
MVAR	Applied to tables, removed

What Gets Generated

The static font contains:

Table	Source
glyf	Interpolated from gvar
CFF	Interpolated from CFF2
hmtx	Interpolated from HVAR
vmtx	Interpolated from VVAR
Other tables	Copied unchanged

Batch Generation

Generate Weight Range

font = Fontisan::FontLoader.load('variable.ttf')
writer = Fontisan::Variation::InstanceWriter.new(font)

weights = {
  'thin' => 100,
  'light' => 300,
  'regular' => 400,
  'medium' => 500,
  'semibold' => 600,
  'bold' => 700,
  'extrabold' => 800,
  'black' => 900
}

weights.each do |name, wght|
  static_font = writer.generate_instance(wght: wght)

  # Also convert to WOFF2 for web
  options = Fontisan::ConversionOptions.from_preset(:web_optimized)
  Fontisan::FontWriter.write(static_font, "#{name}.woff2", options: options)
end

Generate 2D Grid

# Generate grid of weight × width combinations
weights = [100, 400, 700]
widths = [75, 100, 125]

weights.each do |wght|
  widths.each do |wdth|
    static_font = writer.generate_instance(wght: wght, wdth: wdth)
    filename = "wght-#{wght}-wdth-#{wdth}.ttf"
    Fontisan::FontWriter.write(static_font, filename)
  end
end

File Size Comparison

Font Type	Typical Size
Variable font	100-300 KB
Static (single)	20-50 KB
Static (9 weights)	180-450 KB

Variable fonts are smaller when you need multiple variations. Static fonts are smaller for single variations.

Quality Considerations

Interpolation Accuracy

Static fonts are mathematically precise interpolations:

# The interpolated outlines match the variable font exactly
# at the specified coordinates

Hinting

• TrueType hints are interpolated along with outlines
• Some hint instructions may not apply to new coordinates
• Consider re-hinting after generation

Subpixel Rendering

Static fonts may render differently than variable fonts at the same coordinates due to hinting differences.