FontForge Font Info Names Dialog Structure

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the naming structures within the Font Info dialog in FontForge. It covers the layout and function of both the PostScript Names (PS Names) and TrueType Names (TTF Names) sections, detailing how standard metadata fields—including family names, style designations, unique identifiers, and extended OpenType name records—are organized, configured, and synchronized to ensure cross-platform compatibility.

In FontForge, font naming metadata is managed under the Element > Font Info menu. FontForge splits naming records into two primary tabs: PS Names (for PostScript and basic CFF/Type 1 data) and TTF Names (for OpenType and TrueType name table records).

The PS Names Tab

The PS Names tab contains the core, high-level font identifiers used by PostScript interpreters and general editing environments.

  • Fontname: The PostScript name of the font. It must consist of printable ASCII characters without spaces, typically using a hyphen to separate the family from the style (e.g., MyFont-Bold).
  • Family Name: The broader font family to which this style belongs (e.g., MyFont).
  • Name for Humans: Also known as the Full Name. This is the complete, user-facing label combining the family and style (e.g., MyFont Bold).
  • Weight: A descriptive string representing the stroke weight (e.g., Regular, Bold, Light).
  • Version: The version string of the font (e.g., 1.000 or Version 1.000).
  • Copyright: Legal copyright declaration text.
  • Comments: Internal designer notes or descriptive text, which are stored as comments within PostScript formats.

The TTF Names Tab

The TTF Names tab controls the standard OpenType/TrueType name table. This dialog presents a multi-column table displaying the Language, Name ID, and the actual String value.

FontForge organizes these entries according to standard OpenType specification name IDs:

  • Name ID 0 (Copyright): Matches or elaborates on the copyright notice found in PS Names.
  • Name ID 1 (Font Family): The 4-style family name (limited to Regular, Italic, Bold, Bold Italic for legacy Windows GDI compatibility).
  • Name ID 2 (Font Subfamily): The style within the 4-style model (Regular, Italic, Bold, or Bold Italic).
  • Name ID 3 (Unique Font Identifier): A unique string identifying this specific build, often formatted as Manufacturer: Family Subfamily: Year.
  • Name ID 4 (Full Font Name): The human-readable full name, typically matching "Name for Humans."
  • Name ID 5 (Version): The OpenType version string, typically formatted as Version X.XXX;Build YYYY.
  • Name ID 6 (PostScript Name): Directly mirrors the "Fontname" field from the PS Names tab.
  • Name ID 7 (Trademark): Trademark notices or registrations.
  • Name ID 8 (Manufacturer): Name of the font foundry or publishing company.
  • Name ID 9 (Designer): Name of the individual typeface designer.
  • Name ID 11 (URL Vendor): Website link for the font vendor.
  • Name ID 12 (URL Designer): Website or portfolio link for the designer.
  • Name ID 13 (License Description): Plain-text terms of the font license (e.g., SIL Open Font License).
  • Name ID 14 (License Info URL): Web link to the full license text.
  • Name ID 16 (Typographic Family): Preferred Family name, used to group larger families with more than four styles (e.g., SemiBold, ExtraBold, Thin).
  • Name ID 17 (Typographic Subfamily): Preferred Subfamily name, defining styles beyond the basic 4-style model (e.g., Thin Italic, Black).
  • Name ID 19 (Sample Text): Sample sentence or character sequence intended for font previewers.
  • Name ID 21 (WWS Family Name): Used when the family uses non-standard width/weight/slope naming.
  • Name ID 22 (WWS Subfamily Name): Used alongside Name ID 21 to define the specific WWS style.

Synchronization and Language Handling

FontForge allows strings to be set for different target platforms (Macintosh, Windows/Unicode) and distinct language localizations.

When you modify primary values in the PS Names tab, FontForge automatically populates or updates the corresponding English (US) records in the TTF Names tab (such as Name IDs 1, 2, 4, and 6). Additional localized strings or specialized metadata IDs can be manually inserted, edited, or removed directly within the TTF Names list.