ILT-Glyphs Certificate Program: Font Engineering 2022/2023 ↗

This course will introduce you to font engineering over a span of 3 months and 24 hours of teaching. You will understand how an OpenType font works internally, be able to make adjustments to a .glyphs file, manipulate a CFF and TTF post-export, produce variable fonts, as well as track down and fix technical issues. Some experience in Glyphs and basic Python skills are expected (a parallel Python workshop can be booked separately).

1. Sept 13: Setup: OpenType specification and ttx (name table)
2. Sept 15: ttx (OS/2, head, hhea tables): special focus on vertical metrics, fsSelection
3. Sept 20: OTVAR production, special focus on the most typical scenarios (STAT, fvar, avar and gvar tables)
4. Sept 22: OTVAR production, special focus on the most typical scenarios (STAT, fvar, avar and gvar tables)
5. Sept 27: OTVAR production, special focus on the most typical scenarios (STAT, fvar, avar and gvar tables)
6. Sept 29: Setting up .glyphs files for export, writing tests and verifying OpenType binaries
7. Nov 1: Pre-export engineering (.glyphs files)
8. Nov 3: Pre-export engineering: outlines (plus outline conversion)
9. Nov 8: Pre-export engineering: components & reusing shapes
10. Nov 15: Production sessions: work on prepared sample files
11. Nov 17: Production sessions: work on prepared sample files
12. Nov 22: Production sessions: work on prepared sample files

Participants are required to prepare for each session with recommended reading and pre-recorded videos (doable within an hour). Throughout the course, sample tasks will be given as homework. You are encouraged to collect and submit questions before courses. Homework tasks, prepared content and collected questions are discussed in live sessions.

The course will use the latest software in order to set up a virtual classroom and a resource centre for the course materials. Participants will need to join the weekly sessions via a Zoom link. A stable internet connection is required, as well as the latest Glyphs software on a Mac. macOS 11 or later and Glyphs 3 are recommended. We will install FontTools/ttx at the beginning of the course.

This is a 10-hour course that will introduce you to Python for font engineering. It will enable you to read and modify existing Python code, and get you started in writing your own code from scratch. Special attention is given to automating tasks in Glyphs. This course also works as an add-on to the ILT-Glyphs Font Engineering course.

1. Sept 17 (2—6pm): Python basics: statements, variables, loops, functions; Glyphs API; finding the help you need while coding
2. Sept 19 (6—8pm): Recap/Q&A and discussing homework
Session 3
3. Sept 24 (2—6pm): Recap/Q&A and coding concepts: using libraries, abstraction and avoiding code reduplication


Participants are required to prepare for each session with recommended reading (doable within an hour). You will be given a set of tasks as homework once (doable within an hour). You are encouraged to submit questions before classes. Homework tasks, prepared content and collected questions are discussed in live sessions.



This course will introduce you to efficient spacing and kerning workflows in Glyphs, including automating. We will especially focus on potential pitfalls, how to find and fix them, or how to avoid them from the start. Familiarity with Glyphs.app essential, basic knowledge of Python recommended. The course will be taught in English.

1. Nov 24: Spacing workflow (2 hrs)
2. Nov 29: Spacing verification (2 hrs)
3. Dec 1: Kerning workflow (2 hrs)
4. Dec 6: Kerning verification (2 hrs)
5. Dec 8: Production session (2 hrs)

Participants are required to prepare for each session with recommended reading and pre-recorded videos (doable within an hour). Throughout the course, sample tasks will be given as homework. You are encouraged to collect and submit questions before courses. Homework tasks, prepared content and collected questions are discussed in live sessions. In the production session, you will go through a series of real-life scenarios where you apply what you learned.



This course will introduce you to efficient hinting workflows for both CFF and TTF scenarios in Glyphs, including setting up for autohinting algorithms. We will especially focus on potential pitfalls, how to find and fix them, or how to avoid them from the start. Familiarity with Glyphs.app essential; basic knowledge of Python useful but not required. The course will be taught in English.

1. Jan 10, 2023: PS Hinting Basics (2 hrs)
2. Jan 12, 2023: PS Hinting Advanced, TTF Autohint Basics (2 hrs)
3. Jan 17, 2023: TTF Autohint Advanced, Manual TT Hinting Basics (2 hrs)
4. Jan 19, 2023: Manual TT Hinting (2 hrs)
5. Jan 24, 2023: Manual TT Hinting, Production Session (2 hrs)

Participants are required to prepare for each session with recommended reading and pre-recorded videos (doable within an hour). Throughout the course, sample tasks will be given as homework. You are encouraged to collect and submit questions before courses. Homework tasks, prepared content and collected questions are discussed in live sessions. In the production session, you will go through a series of real-life scenarios where you apply what you learned.