pf2afm

pf2afm [options] fontfile

-v
    Verbose mode. Print extra information during the conversion process.

-o outputfile
    Specify the output AFM file. If not specified, output is written to standard output.

fontfile
    The input PostScript font file (PFA or PFB).

The pf2afm command converts PostScript font files (PFB or PFA) into Adobe Font Metrics (AFM) files. AFM files contain metrics and other information about the characters in a font, such as character widths, kerning pairs, and other glyph data. This information is crucial for typesetting systems like TeX and other font-handling applications to correctly render text using the font. The command primarily works by reading the PostScript font file and extracting the relevant font metrics and character encoding information to generate a standardized AFM file. This conversion process allows applications to understand the characteristics of the font, enabling proper layout, spacing, and kerning during document creation. It supports both binary (PFB) and ASCII (PFA) PostScript font formats. pf2afm relies on the font's internal structure to extract the necessary information. The output AFM file can then be used by other programs that require font metrics, usually font viewers and text layout engines. Often used within automated font management workflows during font installation or usage, especially when dealing with older PostScript font sets.

The pf2afm command may not correctly handle all possible PostScript font formats or encodings. Especially, newer font technologies such as OpenType (OTF) fonts are not supported. It relies on the information present in the PostScript font file; if the font file is malformed or incomplete, the resulting AFM file may be inaccurate or unusable.

The command extract default font encoding from the input font file.

afm2tfm(1), fontforge(1), gs(1)