Convert AFM to ADD

Understanding AFM and ADD file formats

AFM (Adobe Font Metrics) files are plain text files that contain font metric information for Type 1 PostScript fonts. They describe the widths, kerning pairs, and other typographic details necessary for typesetting and font rendering, but do not contain the actual font outlines or glyph data.

ADD files, on the other hand, are less standardized and can refer to various file types depending on the software. In the context of font and typography, ADD files are sometimes used as additional font data or as add-on files for specific applications, but there is no universal ADD file format for fonts. It is important to know the target application's requirements for ADD files before converting.

How to convert AFM to ADD

Since AFM and ADD serve different purposes and ADD is not a widely recognized font metric format, direct conversion is not typically supported by mainstream font tools. However, if your ADD file is meant to be a custom font metric or configuration file for a specific application, you may need to:

• Extract the necessary metric data from the AFM file.
• Format this data according to the requirements of the target application's ADD file specification.
• Manually create or script the conversion if no automated tool exists.

For custom or proprietary ADD formats, consult the application's documentation for the required structure.

Recommended software for AFM to ADD conversion

There is no universal converter for AFM to ADD due to the ambiguous nature of the ADD format. However, you can use the following tools to work with AFM files and export or script the necessary data:

• FontForge: An open-source font editor that can import AFM files and export various font formats. While it does not export to ADD directly, it allows you to view and extract font metrics.
• Custom scripts: Use scripting languages like Python to parse AFM files and generate ADD files in the required format.

If your ADD file is for a specific software, check if that software provides an import or conversion utility. For example, some desktop publishing tools may have a menu option like File → Import Metrics or File → Add Font Data.

Summary

Converting AFM to ADD depends on the target application's requirements for ADD files. Use FontForge to inspect AFM data and custom scripts to format it for ADD if needed. Always refer to the documentation of the software that uses ADD files for precise conversion steps.