FontForge Background Template File Formats

FontForge allows type designers to import reference artwork directly into a glyph's background layer to assist with manual tracing or automated vectorization. This guide outlines the specific vector, raster, and font file formats accepted by FontForge for use as background templates, detailing how each type functions within the glyph design workspace.

Vector Formats

Vector formats are ideal for background templates because their paths scale without pixelation and can often be converted directly into editable font outlines. FontForge supports the following vector formats for import:

  • SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics): The most common vector format for modern workflows. FontForge can import SVG paths into the background layer, which can then be copied directly to the foreground.
  • EPS (Encapsulated PostScript): A standard vector format compatible with Adobe Illustrator and other drawing software. FontForge reads PostScript path data reliably.
  • PDF (Portable Document Format): Individual glyph pages or vector graphics saved as PDFs can be imported, depending on your system's underlying libraries (such as pdftops).
  • Illustrator (.ai): Older Illustrator files saved with EPS compatibility can be parsed directly by FontForge.

Raster (Bitmap) Formats

Raster images serve as visual guides beneath your vector drawing plane. When placed in the background layer, they can be manually traced using the Pen tool or converted to vectors using FontForge's integrated autotrace utilities (Potrace or AutoTrace). Supported raster formats include:

  • PNG (Portable Network Graphics): Recommended for raster templates due to its lossless compression and support for transparency.
  • BMP (Windows Bitmap): Fully supported uncompressed or RLE-compressed bitmap files.
  • TIFF (Tagged Image File Format): Supported for high-resolution scanned drawings.
  • JPEG / JPG: Supported for photographic or scanned references, though compression artifacts can make precise tracing difficult.
  • GIF (Graphics Interchange Format): Supported for static, indexed-color templates.
  • XBM and XPM (X Bitmap / X PixMap): Supported native Unix bitmap formats.

Font File Formats

FontForge also allows you to extract glyph outlines from existing font files and place them into the background layer to use as sizing or stylistic references:

  • TrueType (.ttf) and OpenType (.otf)
  • PostScript Type 1 (.pfa, .pfb)
  • BDF (Bitmap Distribution Format)

How to Import a Background Template

To load any of these supported formats as a template in FontForge:

  1. Open the target glyph in the Glyph View window.
  2. Select View > Layers and ensure the Back (Background) layer is active, or use the Layers palette.
  3. Go to File > Import.
  4. Set the Format dropdown to match your file type (e.g., "Image", "SVG", or "EPS").
  5. Select your file and click Import.

Once imported, raster images remain locked in the background as drawing guides, while vector paths can be scaled, transformed, or moved to the Foreground layer using the Element > Make FG from BG command.