Glossary

Type design mixes geometric, typographic, and technical terms. These are the meanings used in Counterpunch’s interface, object model, and handbook.

  • Anchor — a named point on a layer, used for attachment and measurement. Not part of a contour.
  • Assistant editing — the pen toggle in the Assistant title bar. Off: inspect only. On: the assistant may mutate the font and edit an unsaved Script Editor buffer.
  • Auto Align — a component that follows automatic alignment (position and, when fully auto-aligned, spacing). See Automatic composition.
  • Axis — a variable dimension such as weight or width.
  • Background layer — a paired reference drawing behind a foreground layer. Paths only; it does not interpolate or own metrics.
  • Base glyph — a glyph’s ordinary layers, used when no feature variation is selected.
  • Codepoint — a Unicode scalar assigned to a glyph (glyph.codepoints).
  • Compatibility — whether a glyph’s main layers share the same outline structure (paths, components, anchors) so they can interpolate (glyph.isCompatible).
  • Component — a reference to another glyph’s outline, placed with an optional transformation.
  • Contour — a connected outline path that is part of a glyph. The object model calls this a path.
  • Designspace — axis coordinates as stored on layers and masters. Feature-variation min/max use this space, not slider userspace.
  • Disk — the Files context whose root is the project folder.
  • Feature variation — an alternate layer family that is active only inside an axis range. The editor list is labeled Variations.
  • Filter script — Python in the Settings Folder Filters directory that decides which glyphs Overview shows.
  • Font Destination — an installed plugin that can receive an exported binary font.
  • Glyph — a stored character shape: a letter, number, or symbol.
  • Guide — a guideline on a layer or master.
  • Handle — an off-curve control point that shapes a curve segment.
  • Instance — a named style at chosen axis values. End-user apps typically expose these as a named list.
  • Intermediate layer — a stored layer at a non-master location.
  • Interpolation — generated shapes between masters. An interpolated view is temporary and not stored.
  • Kerning — a stored pair adjustment between two glyphs or kerning groups, edited in text mode at the current master.
  • Kerning group — a named set of glyphs that share one side of a kerning pair. A glyph may have one group per side. Stored on the font as first_kern_groups and second_kern_groups.
  • Layer — a stored design state of a glyph, often a master in a variable font.
  • Linked layer — editor-only state: edits can apply to several selected layers of the same glyph at once. Not saved in the font.
  • LKG — left kerning group: the group on a glyph’s left side. In LTR text-mode kerning it is the Second operand. In RTL it is the First operand.
  • LSB — left sidebearing: the distance from x = 0 to the left edge of the outline (layer.lsb).
  • Master — a key design at a location in axis space.
  • Memory — in-browser Files storage for temporary work. Not a disk folder and not the Settings Folder.
  • Metrics key — a sidebearing formula such as =n+10 or ==|H (leftMetricsKey / rightMetricsKey).
  • Node / point — an editable location on a contour. On-curve nodes sit on the path; off-curve nodes are handles.
  • Path — the object-model name for a contour.
  • Production name — the compiled glyph name, when it differs from the working name.
  • Project folder — the local folder granted to Files Disk. Font sources open and save here.
  • RKG — right kerning group: the group on a glyph’s right side. In LTR text-mode kerning it is the First operand. In RTL it is the Second operand.
  • RSB — right sidebearing: the distance from the right edge of the outline to the advance width (layer.rsb).
  • Settings Folder — the local folder for app files: Scripts, Filters, and Plugins. Chosen in Settings (Cmd/Ctrl+,).
  • Sidebearing — space on one side of a glyph. The property panel labels the sides LSB and RSB.
  • Undo surface — the focused Cmd/Ctrl+Z stack (Canvas, Overview, Font Info, Features, or Automation). History lists edits; it does not change which surface undo uses.
  • UPM — units per em: the font’s design grid (font.upm).
  • Userspace — axis values as shown on the editor sliders, which may differ from stored designspace coordinates. End-user apps expose the userspace coordinates, not designspace, unless they are identical.
  • W/Width — advance width of the current layer (layer.width).

Spacing is in Sidebearing arithmetics. Pair kerning is in Text-mode kerning. Axes are in Axes and masters. Folders are in Project and settings folders. Scripting starts in Python in Counterpunch.