Font Generator

A Python package for font manipulation and conversion. Convert TTF/OTF fonts to SVG format, convert SVG files back to fonts, and add handwritten effects to fonts.

Features

• TTF to SVG Conversion: Extract individual glyphs from TrueType/OpenType fonts as SVG files
• SVG to TTF Conversion: Combine SVG files back into a TTF font
• Handwritten Effect: Add a handwritten, jittery effect to fonts using FontForge (see HANDWRITTEN.md)
• CLI Interface: Easy-to-use command-line interface for all operations
• Python API: Use as a library in your Python projects

Installation

From PyPI

pip install font-generator

From Source

git clone https://github.com/GenXLabs-org/font-generator.git
cd font-generator
pip install -e .

Quick Start

Running Without Installation

You can run the CLI directly without installing the package:

# From the project root directory
python -m font_generator.cli ttf-to-svg input/Allura-Regular.ttf output/

Command Line Usage

Convert TTF to SVG

font-generator ttf-to-svg input/Allura-Regular.ttf output/

This will extract all glyphs from the font and save them as individual SVG files in the output directory, along with a _font_metadata.json file containing font metrics.

Convert SVG to TTF

font-generator svg-to-ttf output/input_svgs/ input/Allura-Regular.ttf output/CustomFont.ttf --width 800

This will combine SVG files from the input directory into a new TTF font, using the base font as a template.

Python API Usage

from font_generator import ttf_to_svg, svg_to_ttf, make_handwritten

# Convert TTF to SVG
ttf_to_svg('input/Allura-Regular.ttf', 'output/')

# Convert SVG to TTF
svg_to_ttf('output/input_svgs/', 'input/Allura-Regular.ttf', 'output/CustomFont.ttf')

# Add handwritten effect
make_handwritten('input/Allura-Regular.ttf', 'output/Allura-Handwritten.ttf')

Detailed Usage

TTF to SVG Conversion

The ttf-to-svg command extracts all glyphs from a font file:

font-generator ttf-to-svg input/Allura-Regular.ttf output/

Output:

• Individual SVG files for each glyph (named with Unicode values)
• _font_metadata.json file containing:
  • Font metadata (name, family, version)
  • Font metrics (units per em, ascent, descent)
  • Glyph metrics (width, left bearing)
  • OpenType feature information (GSUB/GPOS)

SVG to TTF Conversion

The svg-to-ttf command combines SVG files into a font:

font-generator svg-to-ttf output/input_svgs/ input/Allura-Regular.ttf output/CustomFont.ttf --width 800

Parameters:

• svg_folder/: Directory containing SVG files
• base_font.ttf: Template font file
• output.ttf: Output font file path
• --width: Default glyph width (default: 800)

Note: SVG files should be named to match glyph names (e.g., A.svg, uni0041_A.svg). The command uses a default Unicode map for A-Z, but you can customize this in the Python API.

Requirements

• Python >=3.7
• fonttools >= 4.0.0
• svgpathtools >= 1.4.0
• fontforge (optional, for handwritten feature)

Examples

Example 1: Extract Glyphs from a Font

font-generator ttf-to-svg input/Allura-Regular.ttf output/

This creates individual SVG files for each character in the font, saved in the output/ directory.

Example 2: Create Custom Font from SVGs

# First, extract glyphs
font-generator ttf-to-svg input/Arya-Regular.ttf output/input_svgs/

# Edit SVG files as needed...

# Then rebuild the font
font-generator svg-to-ttf output/input_svgs/ input/Arya-Regular.ttf output/CustomFont.ttf

Troubleshooting

Invalid Font File Error

Make sure you're using a valid TTF or OTF file. The tool validates font files by checking their headers.

SVG Conversion Issues

• Ensure SVG files are properly formatted
• Check that glyph names match the Unicode map
• Verify the base font file is valid

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT License

Author

GenXLabs

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please visit the GitHub repository.