Export variable font file – Problem with interpolation space

1

Hello :slight_smile: I tried to export a variable font file testwise (with two axes and four masters). Then I get this error message and I couldn’t figure out why. Any ideas?

Thanks and best, Basil

Screenshot 2024-08-19 at 16.00.21
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2

There seems to be something wrong with your master setup? Can you post the master settings from all four masters?

3

Yes, sure :slight_smile:

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Screenshot 2024-08-19 at 16.59.42
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Screenshot 2024-08-19 at 16.59.51
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Screenshot 2024-08-19 at 17.00.51
Screenshot 2024-08-19 at 17.00.511812×1806 167 KB

4

Can you sync the width values between the two condensed masters, and then between the two extended masters?

Best to try and achieve a rectangular master setup.

5

Hi Rainer :slight_smile: Thanks for the answer! I haven’t quite understood it yet exactly, what do you mean by

and

?

6

All the wide masters need to have the same value in the width field. Same for the condensed. And the heavy masters need the same wight value.

7

Rectangular (often referred to as quadratic) design space means that each coordinate on each axis needs to have a coordinate on each other axis.

So, in your case, you need to have a width coordinate for each weight coordinate and vice versa.

Currently, you have:
(45, 650), (220, 800), (45, 510), (220, 660). If you put these values in a coordinate system, you will not get a rectangular shape, as you can imagine.

Judging by the naming of your styles, it would make sense to use the same width value for your Condensed masters and the same for your Extended masters, for example: (45, 650), (220, 650), (45, 800), (220, 800). If you put these values in a coordinate system, you get a rectangle.

It is generally a good practice to use 100 for regular width and then percentage of that width for the other widths. So, for example, 75 for Condensed (75% width) and 125 for Extended.

1 Like
10

Multiple things:

  • What does “Extended Condensed” mean?
  • The width axis value only refers to the width. So yes, it stays the same for all Extended instances/masters and the same for all Condensed, etc.
  • The style ordering is based on the axis order. If you want to group your instances by width first and then weight, put your width axis first. You can simply drag the order in Font Info > Font.

How are you using your fonts? Don’t install them to your system. For testing in InDesign and other Adobe apps, do this: Testing your fonts in Adobe apps | Glyphs

11

@SCarewe thanks for your patience and the detailed answer :slight_smile:

  • «Extended Condensed» is wrong of course, I didn’t look very closely, it all works fine now with the export. I’m sorry for that!
  • All clear with the axes now
  • Thanks for the hint with axis order :slight_smile:

Yes, I know this tutorial and I export files this way, thanks anyway!