TrueType Typography		 Native TrueType Tools
There's an important distinction between tools that edit TrueType fonts natively and those that don't. All the tools on this page edit natively, that is, they expose the actual data found in the TrueType file to the the user, rather than first converting it into a proprietary or otherwise different format.

Apple have a TrueType tools page where you can download their outline editor (RoyalT), a general table editor (TrueEdit, which handles standard and GX tables), a utility to convert multiple master fonts into GX fonts (GXifier), and several other tools.

See also Other Tools for TrueType fonts at this site.

Outline and hint editors

FontLab 3.0
The excellent font editor from St. Petersburg, Russia. The latest version can import and export TrueType fonts without damaging the outlines or removing the hints. It has its own visual interface for hint editing. Essentially these represent a subset of TrueType's hinting language: hinting in native TrueType code is not possible in FontLab. Certain aspects of the font (such as glyph numbering) are changed however, so dedicated TrueType nerds won't be able to integrate it smoothly with their other tools.

Softy
D. W. Emmett's shareware TrueType outline editor. Costs only £15. To learn how to use it, check out Grumpy's How-To On Softy.

Hinting tools

Visual TrueType
This is the new hinting tool from Microsoft. Based on TypeMan (see below), it will be licensed to approved font people.

Visual TypeMan
A professional TrueType hinting program from Type Solutions, a development of the program that has been used to create high quality Windows and Mac TrueTypes since 1989. Created by the inventor of TrueType, Sampo Kaasila. Runs on Power Macintosh.

Visual StingRay
A "high-end automatic hinting tool" from Type Solutions, for applying hints to TrueType fonts. As with all auto-hinters, it will typically only give good results on regular text fonts, and the results are still somewhat unpredictable. Created by the inventor of TrueType, Sampo Kaasila. Runs on Power Macintosh.

Flint
A free Microsoft tool for checking the validity of TrueType hinting instructions. Usings its own internal rasterizer, it executes the TrueType hinting programs of all glyphs at a range of sizes the user specifies. Windows 32-bit version only. (Just watch what it produces on some of your Fontographer and supposedly professional fonts...)

Other utilities

TTFDUMP
An excellent tool for dumping the contents of TrueType files to a human-readable text file, given away by Microsoft. The latest version works on all standard TrueType tables and the TrueType Open tables, but not GX tables. It's a DOS command-line utility.

TTF_EDIT
A DOS command-line program by Richard Kinch performing some operations on the internal tables of TrueType without rendering the rest of the font invalid. Currently freeware.

Refont
Windows shareware by Acute Systems. Converts TrueType and Type 1 fonts to and from their Macintosh counterparts. When you register Refont you get an improved Windows version, Wrefont.

TTconverter
Mac shareware.

FontHopper
This Mac utility from Ares (a company swallowed by Adobe) transports TrueType and Type 1 fonts cleanly across the PC/Mac barrier.

TTFGASP by kewei
A shareware editor for the 'gasp' anti-aliasing control table.

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