TypeTool

If you're in the font design world, you've probably heard about TypeTool – Fontlab's powerful font editor that's been making waves among professionals. This isn't your average font tweaking software; it's a comprehensive toolkit for serious graphic designers and typography specialists who need to create, modify, and perfect typefaces.

What makes TypeTool stand out is its impressive compatibility with major font formats including TrueType, Type 1, and TrueType based OpenType fonts. Imagine working with up to 65,000 characters – that's enough to cover multiple languages and special symbols. With support for 12 encodings and 150 codepages, this program truly opens up global typography possibilities for desktop publishing projects.

The recent updates to TypeTool have made it even more powerful. Now featuring Unicode 5.0 support, you can work with a wider range of characters and symbols than ever before. The addition of bitmap Background and outline Mask layers gives you more creative control, while the improved Bézier drawing tools make precision editing smoother. Multi line metrics and kerning editing mean you can fine tune spacing across multiple lines of text simultaneously, and the screen quality auto hinting ensures your fonts look crisp on digital displays.

Here's the practical part: whether you're starting from scratch with a new font design, modifying existing fonts, or just exploring fonts already installed on your system, TypeTool handles it all. It's built on the same robust engine that powers FontLab Studio, so you're getting industry standard technology without the full studio price tag.

Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room – the interface. Some users might find TypeTool's interface a bit dated compared to modern design software. It's functional rather than flashy, with a straightforward layout that prioritizes utility over visual appeal. But most professionals agree that once you get used to it, the workflow is efficient and the tools are exactly where you need them.

At the end of the day, TypeTool delivers where it matters most – in powerful font creation and editing capabilities. For graphic designers and typographers who need reliable, professional grade tools without unnecessary frills, this software remains an essential part of their creative toolkit. The functionality far outweighs any cosmetic concerns, making it a smart choice for serious font work.