How to Set Uniform Sidebearings in FontForge

Setting uniform sidebearings across multiple glyphs in FontForge is a fast way to standardize horizontal spacing across a typeface. By selecting a target range of characters in the main Font View and applying FontForge’s batch metrics commands, you can apply identical Left Sidebearings (LSB) and Right Sidebearings (RSB) simultaneously without having to adjust each character individually.

Selecting the Target Glyphs

1. Open your font project in FontForge to view the main glyph grid (Font View).
2. Click on the first glyph in the range you want to adjust.
3. Hold down the Shift key and click the last glyph in the sequence to highlight the entire continuous range.
4. To select non-contiguous glyphs, hold down the Control key (or Command on macOS) while clicking individual glyphs.

Setting the Left Sidebearing (LSB)

1. With the desired glyphs selected, navigate to the top menu and click Metrics.
2. Select Set LBearing... from the dropdown menu.
3. In the dialog box that appears, choose the Set to option.
4. Enter your desired numerical value in font units.
5. Click OK to apply the uniform left sidebearing to all highlighted glyphs.

Setting the Right Sidebearing (RSB)

1. Keep the same glyphs selected in the Font View.
2. Navigate back to the Metrics menu.
3. Select Set RBearing... from the list.
4. Choose the Set to option in the pop-up window.
5. Enter the desired numerical value in font units.
6. Click OK to finalize the right sidebearing adjustment across the selection.

Verifying the Metrics

To inspect your changes across the modified range:

1. Keep the glyphs selected and go to Metrics > Open Metrics Window (or press Ctrl + K / Cmd + K).
2. Review the glyphs side-by-side to ensure the uniform spacing renders correctly across typical letter combinations.
3. If necessary, you can make global incremental adjustments to the selected group by returning to Metrics > Set LBearing... or Set RBearing... and selecting the Increment by option instead of "Set to."