Changing UPM

Glyphs
1

After completing most of a font, I decided I wanted to enlarge the UPM to double the default of 1000. That process isn’t very intuitive or automatic even referring to the manual. While it scales the template characters immediately, I found the only way to finish it is to “Select All” then use the Transform panel to size the completed glyphs.

Even then it leaves much to be done:

  1. Glyphs doesn’t scale the glyph widths;
  2. Glyphs doesn’t change the key font metrics;
  3. Glyphs doesn’t relocate guidelines to a new location relative to the new UPM;
  4. Having to use the Transform panel scales the glyph from the centerpoint of the baseline rather from 0,0. That just won’t work for me.

So is my only choice going to be to Export the font and take it into FontLab Studio to finish the job, or am I overlooking something?

2

To change the UPM of the hole font, use the button next to the UPM filed. Or use a custom parameter.

3

Glyphs 1.4.4 [597] OS X 10.9.4

Neither of those work either. I tried repeatedly.

Slight correction: the arrow next to the UPM field works but only for the template characters. Completed glyphs do not scale.

4

Do you want to change the UPM or scale the glyphs?

Just changing UPM, of course, does not change the coordinates of your glyphs or of your guidelines. But they will appear in a different size when installed because it is the em that is scaled to the respective font size. That is why the placeholder pics appear larger.

Changing the upm with scaling, however, should change everything to the new grid, regardless of the selection. I will check tomorrow if there is a bug in the latest beta, not on a Mac now. Try the latest stable version in that case.

If you have suggestions for making this more intuitive, please let us know.

The transform functions of the filter and of both the grey info box and the palette allow you to set the transformation origin.

5

I want to do both because I need a higher UPM.

Where can I get the latest stable version?

“The transform functions of the filter and of both the grey info box and the palette allow you to set the transformation origin.”

Not completely true. The Transform palette lets me set it to the baseline, but not to x=0,y=0. Therefore the glyph, when scaled, enlarges horizontally centered and from the baseline vertically.

6

The latest stable version is in the ‘download trial’ links of this webpage.

You can set the palette transform from metrics to grid mode. Or simply use the filter which always scales the whole glyph.

What do you need a higher UPM for? Higher resolution grid? If so, considered a subdivision of e.g. 10?

7

I finally realized that is where the stable version would be so I dl’d it and tried it. Same results; no glyph scaling with the UPM change.

I will try the sub 10 and see what I think of it. If it gets rounded excessively at font generation time then it would be useless for a finely detailed script.

8

I just checked it with both, the latest stable and the latest beta. Both work fine.

Click the two arrows next to the UPM value and put the new value in the dialog. If that doesn’t work, could you send me the .glyphs file?

1 Like
9

Thanks Georg. That’s the kind of info I needed.

I had entered my new value in the field, then clicked the arrows which brought up the dialog with the new value already entered.

The manual wasn’t explicit about how to do it so I took what I thought would be the logical route, and that was wrong.

It works fine now.