# fonttools/fonttools

A library to manipulate font files from Python.

Repository: https://github.com/fonttools/fonttools
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/fonttools
Language: Python
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: fonts, opentype, python
Last push: 2026-08-25T21:59:20+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 94/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 84, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4788, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 111, "gap_med": 12, "n_releases_24m": 30}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 5220, forks 536 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:13.202160+00:00)

## What it is
fontTools is a Python library for manipulating font files, supporting TrueType, OpenType, AFM, and partially Type 1 and Mac-specific formats. It includes the TTX tool that converts fonts to and from an XML text format for inspection and editing.

## Use cases
- convert ttf fonts to xml and back
- inspect opentype font tables programmatically
- subset a font to reduce file size
- merge or modify glyph data in python
- extract font metadata like names and metrics
- build variable fonts from designspace files

## When to choose
- you need to read, write, or transform font files in Python
- you want to inspect or debug font binary tables via XML
- you're building font tooling like subsetting, merging, or instancing

## When to avoid
- you just need to render text with a font rather than manipulate font files
- you need a GUI font editor rather than a programmatic library

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: stable
- function: parser, serialization, developer-tools
- domain: files, developer-tools, graphics
- platform: python, cross-platform
- tags: fonts, opentype, truetype, ttx, font-manipulation, typography

## Member repositories
- fonttools/fonttools (main) score 94

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:13.202160+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:00:08.667839+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/fonttools/fonttools (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:13.202160+00:00, sha ea84d8b324bc)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.