Provided by: fontforge-common_20120731.b-5_all bug


       fontforge - create and modify PostScript, TrueType and SVG fonts


       fontforge [-c string] [-cmap maptype] [-depth pixeld] [-display str] [-lang=ff] [-lang=py]
       [-last] [-library-status] [-help] [-keyboard ktype]  [-new]  [-nosplash]  [-recover  mode]
       [-script file] [-sync] [-usage] [-vc vclass] [-version] fontfile ...


       The  program  fontforge allows you to create and modify font files, accepting input in the
       following formats (with associated file extensions appearing in parentheses):

       Glyph Bitmap Distribution (.bdf)

       Macintosh resource fonts (.dfont, .bin, .hqx)

       OpenType (.otf)

       fontforge spline font database (.sfd)

       POSTSCRIPT, which includes:

              ASCII format (.pfa)

              Binary format (.pfb)

              CID-keyed fonts, Adobe convention used primarily for Asian characters (.cid, .otf)

              POSTSCRIPT Type 0 (.ps)

              POSTSCRIPT Type 3 (.ps)

       Scaleable vector graphics fonts (.svg)

       TeX bitmap (.pk)

       TrueType (.ttf, .ttc)

       X11 bitmap (.pcf)

       If the argument list contains a font file name (or several), fontforge  opens  a  fontview
       window  for  each  font  displaying  the  characters  of the that font.  In the absence of
       options or arguments, the program opens a file-picker window, allowing you to browse  your
       disk to find a font file, or create a new one.

       This manual page is intended only as a rudimentary overview; see the HTML Users Manual for
       more complete information.


       -c string
              Must be the first argument. Executes "string" as a set of scripting commands.   Any
              additional arguments will be passed to the script.

       -cmap maptype
              Employ  the  specified method to control 8-bit colormaps, where maptype assumes one
              of these three values:

                     Attempt to allocate colors in the current (shared)  colormap.   The  program
                     will likely not find everything it requires.

              copy   Allocate  what can be allocated, then copy the current colormap; it can thus
                     make use of cells other programs are using.

                     Create a new colormap and fill it with the required colors.

       -depth pixeld
              Attempt to employ a visual that matches the specified pixel depth, pixeld.

       -display str
              Employ the X display specified by the string str (for example: localhost:0).

       -help  Display the usage  description  and  start  a  web  client  displaying  the  online

       -keyboard ktype
              Alter  the  displayed  menus  to  employ modifier keys appropriate to the specified
              keyboard type, where ktype assumes one of the following four values:

              ibm    IBM PC type keyboard.

              mac    Apple Macintosh keyboard.

              sun    Sun workstation keyboard.

              ppc    Macintosh keyboard, but on a system running SuSe linux (the mappings  differ
                     from those used under MacOS X).

       -last  Opens  whatever  font  you  last  edited  with  fontforge.   If you specify n -last
              fontforge will open the last n fonts.

              Interpret the script with the fontforge interpreter.

              Interpret the script with the python interpreter.

              Prints information about optional libraries.

       -new   Create a new font with the ISO 8859-1 encoding (the international encoding standard
              for western Europe, and the standard for most X fonts).

              Suppress display of the splash screen.

       -recover mode
              Control  the  crash recovery mechanism (helpful if crash recovery causes problems),
              where mode takes on one of three allowed settings:

              auto   perform automatic recovery (default) if the program  crashed  before  saving

              clean  Delete recovery information.

              none   Suppress crash recovery.

       -script file
              Execute  the  script  named  file.   Does not open the X display.  This must be the
              first argument passed  to  fontforge.  Any  other  arguments  are  handled  by  the
              scriptfile  itself.  Any other command line arguments will be passed to the script.
              The program contains a command interpreter which allows access to most but not  all
              of  its interactive features.  If a scriptfile is executable, and if its first line
              contains the string "fontforge", then the argument -script  may  be  omitted.  This
              means that fontforge can be used as an interpreter.

       -sync  Make X synchronous.  Used primarily for debugging, this option slows X down.

       -usage Display the usage description.

       -vc vclass
              Attempt  to  use  a  visual that matches the class, vclass, specified as either the
              name of a visual class or an integer enumerating a visual class.

              Display the current version (a six digit string containing the date  stamp  of  the
              source files).


       If any of the following environment variables exist, they are used:

              Specifies the name of a browser program for examining documentation.

              Specifies  the location of the autotrace program (usually FontForge can figure this
              out without help, but not always).

       MF     Specifies the location of the metafont program.

              Turns on verbose mode in scripting. Each statement is printed as it is executed.


              crash recovery directory

              translations for the user interface

              optional location for online documentation.

              "encoding"       files       for       Adobe's       cid        formats        from



       The HTML version of the fontforge manual, available online at:


       fontforge used to be called pfaedit.


       Copyright  (C) 2000-2007 by George Williams (  Original manual page by Tom
       Harvey, subsequently modified by George Williams.  Heavily rewritten and modified  to  use
       standard -man (5) macros by R.P.C. Rodgers (, 23 October 2002.


       Undoubtedly many, but unknown and ever changing.  See

     for a current list.

                                           2 March 2004                              FONTFORGE(1)