fontmake

3.11.1 verified Fri May 01 auth: no python

A Python library for compiling fonts from sources (UFO, Glyphs) to binary (OpenType, TrueType). Version 3.11.1, requires Python >=3.9.

pip install fontmake

Common errors

error ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'fontmake' ↓

cause The library is not installed or the import path is wrong.

fix

Install with pip install fontmake and import using from fontmake import fontmake.

error AttributeError: module 'fontmake' has no attribute 'main' ↓

cause Incorrect import for CLI main function.

fix

Use from fontmake.__main__ import main instead.

error ImportError: cannot import name 'instantiator' from 'fontmake' ↓

cause The `instantiator` module was moved to `ufo2ft` in v3.9.0.

fix

Use from ufo2ft.instantiator import ....

Warnings

deprecated The `fontmake.instantiator` module was moved to `ufo2ft.instantiator` in v3.9.0. Import from `ufo2ft.instantiator` instead. ↓

fix Replace `from fontmake.instantiator import ...` with `from ufo2ft.instantiator import ...`.

breaking As of v3.11.0, `USE_MY_METRICS` component flags are no longer automatically set for variable fonts. This can cause metric mismatches if your workflow depended on the old behavior. ↓

fix If you need `USE_MY_METRICS`, set it explicitly in your source or pass `--use-my-metrics` to fontmake (if available) or handle in post-processing.

gotcha Python 3.8 support dropped in v3.11.0. The library requires Python >=3.9. ↓

fix Upgrade to Python 3.9 or later.

gotcha The `skipExportGlyphs` in DesignSpace lib overrides the UFO lib.plist key per the DS spec, but only since v3.10.1 for static TTFs. Prior versions may not respect the override correctly. ↓

fix Upgrade to >=3.10.1 or ensure the UFO lib.plist has the correct values.

Install

pip install fontmake[repacker]

Imports

fontmake
wrong
```
import fontmake
```
correct
```
from fontmake import fontmake
```
direct import of module gives access to CLI functions
main
wrong
```
from fontmake import main
```
correct
```
from fontmake.__main__ import main
```
correct module path for programmatic CLI invocation

run_from_designspace

from fontmake import run_from_designspace

FontMakeError

from fontmake.errors import FontMakeError

Quickstart

Compile a DesignSpace file into a variable font.

from fontmake import run_from_designspace
run_from_designspace('path/to/your.designspace', output_path='output.ttf')