Variable fonts

Short description: Extension to the OpenType font specification

OpenType variable fonts are an extension to the OpenType specification, introduced in OpenType 1.8.[1][2][3] On 14 September 2016, Adobe, Apple, Google, and Microsoft announced the technology, which allows a single font file to store a continuous range of design variants.[1][4][5][6]

## Contents

* 1 Technology
* 2 Adoption
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## Technology

OpenType variable fonts are an adaptation of Apple's TrueType GX font variations to OpenType, with integration into key aspects of the OpenType format including OpenType Layout tables and both TrueType and CFF glyph outline formats. It also surpasses TrueType GX by providing better interoperability, both between different fonts, and between variable fonts and font-formatting specifications such as those found in Cascading Style Sheets. The technology allows software to access any design instance for a continuous range of designs defined within the font. When a specific design instance has been selected, the glyph outlines or other data values for that design instance are computed as font data is being processed during text layout and rasterization.

The technology uses interpolation and extrapolation mechanisms that have been supported in font-development tools and used by font designers for many years.[7] In that paradigm, the font designer creates a variable design, but then chooses specific instances to generate as static, non-variable fonts that get distributed to customers. With variable fonts, however, the font produced and distributed by the font designer can have built-in variability, and the interpolation mechanisms can now be built into operating systems and Web browsers or other applications, with specific design instances selected at time of use.

One of the key benefits of the technology is that it can significantly reduce the combined size of font data whenever multiple styles are in use. On the Web, this may allow a site to use more font styles while at the same time reducing page load times. A further benefit is that it give access to a continuous range of style variations, which can provide benefits for responsive design.

The technology has been compared to Adobe's multiple master fonts (MM fonts) technology, also from the 1990s, which used on-the-fly generation of font designs from master files by interpolation and extrapolation.[8][9][10][11] Multiple master fonts, however, required the user to generate a specific "instance" of the font for particular variation-axis values before it could be used. This is not required for OpenType variable fonts, however: named or arbitrary design instances can be selected and used on demand.

## Adoption

In Windows 10, version 1709, Microsoft introduced the first variable font in Windows: the "Bahnschrift" font, which is a digitisation of DIN 1451.[12][13]

Adobe Creative Cloud 2018 version, released 18 October 2017, includes support for variable fonts in Photoshop[14] and Illustrator[15] and includes variable concept versions of the fonts Acumin, Minion, Myriad, Source Code, Source Sans, and Source Serif.

Creative Cloud 2020 has added variable font support for InDesign.[16]

Inkscape version 1.0 has added variable font support.[17]

## See also

* TrueType

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Introducing OpenType Font Variations". https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Typography/FontVariationsAnnouncement.aspx.
2. ↑ Phinney, Thomas. "Variable Fonts Are the Next Generation". https://www.commarts.com/columns/variable-fonts-are-the-next-generation. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
3. ↑ Phinney, Thomas. "The Lesson of Color Fonts for Variable Fonts". http://www.thomasphinney.com/2016/09/color-fonts-lesson-for-variable/. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
4. ↑ "CSS Fonts Module Level 4". https://drafts.csswg.org/css-fonts-4/.
5. ↑ Nieskens, Roel. "Variable Fonts: the Future of (Web) Type". http://typographica.org/on-typography/variable-fonts/. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
6. ↑ Hudson, John. "Introducing OpenType Variable Fonts". Tiro Typeworks. https://medium.com/@tiro/https-medium-com-tiro-introducing-opentype-variable-fonts-12ba6cd2369#.josnafajq. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
7. ↑ Griscti, Jessica. "Jess Loves Interpolation". http://www.alphabettes.org/jess-loves-interpolation/. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
8. ↑ Designing Multiple Master Typefaces. San José: Adobe Systems. 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/20050128015956/https://partners.adobe.com/public/developer/en/font/5091.Design_MM_Fonts.pdf. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
9. ↑ Riggs, Tamye. "The Adobe Originals Silver Anniversary Story". Adobe. http://blog.typekit.com/2014/07/30/the-adobe-originals-silver-anniversary-story-how-the-originals-endured-in-an-ever-changing-industry/. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
10. ↑ "The Adobe Originals Silver Anniversary Story: Expanding the Originals". Adobe Systems. http://blog.typekit.com/2014/06/30/the-adobe-originals-silver-anniversary-story-expanding-the-originals/. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
11. ↑ Phinney, Thomas. "Font Remix Tools (RMX) and Multiple Master Fonts in type design". Phinney. http://www.thomasphinney.com/2010/03/font-remix-tools-rmx-and-multiple-master-fonts-in-type-design/. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
12. ↑ "Introducing the Bahnschrift font". Microsoft. https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2017/08/23/announcing-windows-10-insider-preview-build-16273-pc/. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
13. ↑ Protalinski, Emil. "Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview with shell, Edge, and input improvements". https://venturebeat.com/2017/08/23/microsoft-releases-new-windows-10-preview-with-shell-edge-and-input-improvements/. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
14. ↑ "New features summary | October 2017 release of Photoshop CC". https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/whats-new.html#Variablefonts. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
15. ↑ "New features summary | October 2017 release of Illustrator CC". https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/whats-new.html#Variablefonts. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
16. ↑ https://indesignsecrets.com/whats-new-with-indesign-cc-2020.php
17. ↑ "Introducing Inkscape 1.0". https://inkscape.org/news/2020/05/04/introducing-inkscape-10/. Retrieved 2020-07-01.

## External links

* Variable Fonts on the Web
* Variable fonts guide
* Variable Fonts Demo
* From TrueType GX to Variable Fonts
* V-Fonts, a showcase of available variable fonts by Nick Sherman
* Variable Fonts: the Future of (Web) Type

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