How to make a font on a Mac or Linux computer
Font by Zaweba has Mac and Linux versions built on the same interface and compiler as Windows, so you can make and export a font the same way on any of them.
On a Mac or a Linux computer you can make a font with Font by Zaweba, which has versions for both systems. They use an Electron shell around the same interface and the same font compiler as the Windows version, so you restyle the base alphabet with sliders and export TTF, OTF or WOFF2 files exactly as you would on Windows.
This article goes through how to make a font on either system and what to keep in mind when you move between computers.
What you'll be working with
Every font starts from Zaweba's base alphabet of 109 characters: printable ASCII plus symbols such as the pound, euro, copyright and degree signs, curly quotes, dashes and an ellipsis. The letters are stored as centre lines that a pen strokes, so weight is a single setting and every style change applies to the whole alphabet.
You don't need drawing skill. You do need an idea of what the font is for, and some real words to test with.
Making the font
Start by choosing a preset. Eleven are built in, from Plain and Slab to Stencil, Polka and Perspective Poster.
Adjust the style stack. Each operation has an on and off switch, sliders and a reset, and they can be reordered. Change weight and contrast, width, rounding, slant and the rest, and watch the live preview.
Add components if you like: one of nine serifs, seven decorations or three cut-outs, or your own shape imported as SVG.
Fix individual letters in the glyph editor if any need it, and adjust spacing and kerning.
Fill in the font settings: family name, designer, version, copyright and licence.
Export a single style or a four-style family of Regular, Bold, Italic and Bold Italic, as TTF, OTF and WOFF2. The files are checked for tables, overlaps and contour direction, and any warnings are listed.
Installing it on your system
The Install for me button is described for Windows, where it installs for the current user with no administrator prompt. Mac and Linux each have their own way of adding fonts, so install the exported TTF or OTF files the way your system normally does. Once installed, a four-style family behaves as one family, so bold and italic buttons in your programs pick your real styles.
For a website, the web kit works the same on every system. It makes a folder with the WOFF2 files, a fonts.css of @font-face rules and an index.html demo page.
Moving between computers
Projects save as .zfont files, a ZIP based format that's documented. Save on one machine, open on another, and carry on. Because the compiler is shared, a font exported on a Mac matches one exported on Windows or Linux from the same project.
If you prefer drawing letters in a vector editor, export the SVG glyph sheet, edit it, and import it back. Changed glyphs are flagged for review, wherever you did the editing.
Worth knowing
Font by Zaweba is free software under the EULA, works offline and needs no account. The fonts you make belong to you, and the licence you choose is written into the files. That's the same on every system, so you can pick whichever computer suits you and still end up with the same font.
