Creating Custom Fonts¶

Fonts can exist saved in different file formats: OTF, TTF and SVG (and some more).

With Inkscape, yous can create SVG fonts. These fonts can later be converted to some other font file format, and be used in a text editor or graphics program. There are also a few programs that support SVG fonts straight (Inkscape 0.92.10 is not one of them. This is planned for version i.0, though).

The messages, numbers and special characters a font consists of are called glyphs.

To create a custom SVG font:

  1. Open the typography template with .
  2. Open up the Font Editor dialog from .
  3. In the column labelled Font, click on New to create a font. You tin can double-click on the generic name of the font to change it.
  4. Open the Layers dialog from .

Repeat the following for each glyph that yous want to add to your font:

  1. In the Layers dialog, add a new layer by clicking on the '+' icon. Name it afterward your letter. Select the layer in the dialog.
  2. At present, in the Font Editor, in the tab Glyphs, click on Add Glyph. Double-click on the Glyph proper name field to name your glyph, eastward.g. phone call it 'Capital A' or 'Space'. In the Matching String field, enter the alphabetic character that it corresponds to.
  3. Depict the path for your glyph on the sheet.
  4. When you're happy with your glyph, select information technology, and besides select the corresponding row in the dialog, then click on Get curves from option.

Tip

Y'all tin can always test your font by typing a text into the field at the bottom of the SVG Font Editor dialog and looking at the preview in a higher place it.

Hint

You can utilize the little 'heart' icons in the Layers dialog to hide the layers with the glyphs that you have already finished. To protect the completed glyph layers from accidental changes, use the 'lock' icons.

When you are done, salvage the file as an Inkscape SVG (this is Inkscape'south standard file format).

Although this functionality is meant for typographers, amateurs, likewise, can chop-chop go a working result and test their work as they get.

When your font is finished, you lot tin can utilise a software similar FontForge where yous import your SVG font and tin can export it into different formats to be able to use information technology with other software.

Typography canvas

The typography template has only the right size for a unmarried alphabetic character. It comes with a set of useful guides. On the right side, the letter 'a' has already been added to the SVG font.