Font Concepts
Understanding font terminology is essential for working with Fontist effectively. This section explains the core concepts and how they relate to Fontist, Fontisan, and Formulas.
Core Hierarchy
Font Family (e.g., "Open Sans")
├── Font Style (e.g., "Regular", "Bold", "Italic")
│ ├── Font Weight (e.g., 400, 700)
│ └── Variable Font Axes (e.g., weight, width, slant)
│ └── Font File (physical file on disk)
│ ├── Font Format (OTF, TTF, PS)
│ └── Font Container (TTC, OTC, dfont)Topics
Fonts & Styles
Font families, styles, and weights—the fundamental building blocks.
Variable Fonts
Modern variable fonts with adjustable axes for weight, width, and more.
Formats & Containers
File formats (TTF, OTF, WOFF) and container formats (TTC, dfont).
Licenses
Font licensing and how Fontist handles license requirements.
Requirements
Specifying what fonts your project needs via manifests.
How Fontist, Fontisan, and Formulas Connect
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FONTIST │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Font Requirements (Manifest) │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ Formulas │────▶│ Downloads │ │
│ │ (Recipes) │ │ & Installs │ │
│ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
│ │ │ │
│ ▼ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ License │ │ System Index │ │
│ │ Management │ │ (Detection) │ │
│ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ Returns Font Paths │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FONTISAN │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Input: Font files (from Fontist or elsewhere) │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ Convert │ │ Subset │ │
│ │ TTF↔OTF↔WOFF│ │ Glyphs only │ │
│ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
│ │ │ │
│ ▼ ▼ │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ Validate │ │ Instantiate │ │
│ │ Check │ │ Variable→ │ │
│ │ Issues │ │ Static │ │
│ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ Output: Processed Fonts │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Quick Reference
File Extensions
| Extension | Meaning |
|---|---|
.ttf | TrueType Font |
.otf | OpenType Font |
.ttc | TrueType Collection |
.otc | OpenType Collection |
.woff | Web Open Font Format |
.woff2 | Web Open Font Format 2 |
.dfont | macOS Data Fork Font |
.pfb | PostScript Font Binary |
Common Tasks
| Task | Tool | Command |
|---|---|---|
| Install fonts | Fontist | fontist install "Font Name" |
| Check installed | Fontist | fontist status "Font Name" |
| Define requirements | Fontist | Create manifest.yml |
| Convert formats | Fontisan | fontisan convert input.ttf output.woff2 |
| Subset glyphs | Fontisan | fontisan subset font.ttf --glyphs "ABCabc" |
| Create formula | Fontist | fontist create-formula font.ttf |