I am building a set of icons, and want them to be a specific size matching the x-Height of an existing font, or the Cap Height, etc.
How can I figure out the exact measurements of an existing font?
Thanks!
Are you talking about a specific font?
You can find the x-height of a font by dropping it onto an app like fontgauntlet.com. Click on the family name in the top left, then a table with all the font tables will come up. Note that the metrics are in relation to the UPM.
Alternatively, open up the font file in Glyphs. The x-height is given there as well. Again, note the UPM and scale the x-height in case the UPM is different to the one you are using in your icon font.
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Thanks - I’m trying to measure a few Adobe fonts (Mac) and they’re all numbered rather than named. Other than getting info on them one-by-one (or scrolling through the many previews) I’m not sure how best to identify them.
I saw someone reference the “entitlements.xml” file for reference, but mine’s 0 bytes. I also looked on the Adobe page for the fonts, but there’s no number there to match.
Any ideas?
Font sizes, as you know, are relative. I assume you are talking about “units” not points or inches, etc.
If you do not own the font already, make a screen-shot of the most telling glyphs of the font (dp, qb, x) in question. Place that image into your Glyphs file, then scale that image so that the ascender height to descender depth matches the known quantity text font you have open in Glyphs, i.e., Helvetica. Use your measurement tool to measure the x-height of the image. If you own the font already, just open it temporarily in Glyphs and measure the xheight directly with your measurement tool.
Why not just open the font file in Glyphs and check the x-height of the font you want to match as well as that font’s units per em? If the latter matches your own font’s, just use the x-height straight, else multiply it by your font’s units per em and then divide by that of the font you want to match.