Font Editor

Metrics and spacing

Everything in a font is measured in font pixels: one square of the grid you draw on.

Metrics

The metrics are in Font setup:

• Em height: the font's size.
• Ascender and Descender: how far the letters reach above and below the baseline, which sits at 0.
• Cap height and x-height: where capitals and lowercase letters end.
• Line height, and Vertical line height for vertical text.
• Letter spacing: space added to every glyph.

To start another module on the same grid, right-click a font module on the Fonts page and choose New font with same metrics. It takes the metrics, spacing, bounds and guide grids, and nothing else.

Advance and bounds

A glyph's advance is how far along the line the next glyph starts. Its bounds are the box its drawing sits in. Both follow the drawing unless you set them in the glyph's Edit tab, or drag an edge of the bounds on the glyph canvas. Double-click an edge to make it automatic again. The metric lines can be dragged on the canvas by their labels too.

Spacing

A module whose Category in Font setup is Monospace or Semimono gives every glyph the same advance, set under Advance in its metrics. Otherwise each glyph is as wide as it needs to be. Monospace fonts have no kerning: use placement to move a glyph's ink instead.

In a Han module, Gap next to other scripts adds space where Han meets Latin letters, figures or punctuation in a line.