Of special note are the aptly named *vector paint* tools, a collection of drawing tools with which you can create your individual glyphs. Outlines
are automatically closed and overlapping is automatically corrected when using these tools. The only shortfall here is the lack of support for pressure sensitive tablets, but given their reputation for incorporating
suggestions from users in a matter of days into free downloadable updates, this should soon be available.For the extremely anal-retentive typographer (and show me a good one who isn't) there is an
exclusive tool called FontAudit which analyses each glyph for possible problems and recommends corrections. You can then choose to fix each node individually or all similar errors automatically. The algorithm behind
this process can be customized too.
In regards to node editing, there are a few omissions I hope to see corrected in future versions. One of my favorite Fontographer tools is the 'clean up paths' command. I
create many of my fonts from scanned drawings and despite careful calibration of my vector tracing program, I usually have plenty of excess nodes. In FontLab, the FontAudit tool and an operation called *curve* (which
allows you to select a group of nodes and approximate them with a single curve) address this problem, but require a much more time-consuming process.
Another of my favorite Fontographer operations is the
*correct path direction* command which correctly alternates the path directions and thus the corresponding fill/no fill or 'winding' of the glyph outlines. In FontLab this is usually automatic, but not always. You can
change an individual contour (a.k.a. path) direction with a right click menu selection or you can reverse all contours, but you can't simply correct the winding for the whole glyph with a single click. This is a pretty
simple algorithm and I believe could be easily corrected.
For the advanced typographer, there is support for Unicode and virtually every codepage and encoding vector known to mankind, plus editing and
creation of custom codepages, advanced hinting and metrics tools, type 1 multiple master (4 axes) creation, and lots more.
The 371-page manual and extensive help file are fairly thorough and helpful,
although I still remain baffled when it comes to all the different encodings. They also have an online forum and good tech support.
This program is very deep and although the learning curve is not at all
steep, I feel I have only grazed the surface of its capabilities in two weeks of testing, which I think is the hallmark of a great application.
Despite its few shortcomings, I am extremely pleased and
excited with this program. Its multitude of advanced features far outweigh the few oversights and make it well worth the investment. As an added incentive, Pyrus will soon make it available at a competitive upgrade
price of only $99. They also have a variety of other type creation & editing applications for various levels of expertise and price. Demo (no saves) or trial (5 saves) versions of all are available at their website.
Look out Fontographer! I think we have a new leader in this field.
Stanley Roland Frantz
Graphic Design, Web Development, & Typography
