font2c

font2c [options] input_font_file

-h
    Display help information.

-v
    Enable verbose output.

-o output_file
    Specify the output C source file. If not specified, output is sent to standard output.

-n font_name
    Specify the name of the font array in the output C code.

The font2c command is a utility that converts font files (typically in formats like BDF - Bitmap Distribution Format) into C source code arrays. This allows embedded systems or other resource-constrained environments to use the fonts directly by including the generated C code in their projects. The command effectively serializes the font data into a format that can be easily compiled and linked into an application without needing to parse font files at runtime. The output C code typically includes the bitmap data for each glyph, as well as metadata such as character widths and heights. This makes it easier to render text on displays where font rendering libraries are not available or are too resource-intensive. Font2c simplifies the integration of custom or specific font styles into embedded applications.

Font2c is primarily designed for bitmap fonts. It may not work correctly with other font formats (e.g., TrueType). The resulting C code can be quite large, especially for fonts with many glyphs or large sizes.

To convert a BDF font file named 'myfont.bdf' to a C source file named 'myfont.c' with the font array named 'MyFont', you would use the command:
font2c -n MyFont -o myfont.c myfont.bdf

bdftopcf(1)