pf2afm

pf2afm PFBFILE [AFMFILE]

PFBFILE
    The input PostScript Type 1 font file. This can be either a binary (.pfb) or ASCII (.pfa) format file.

AFMFILE
    Optional. The name of the output Adobe Font Metrics (.afm) file. If this argument is omitted, the command typically writes the AFM data to standard output or generates a file with the same base name as PFBFILE but with an .afm extension.

The pf2afm command is a utility designed to extract font metric information from a PostScript Type 1 font file and convert it into an Adobe Font Metrics (AFM) file. PostScript Type 1 fonts are commonly stored as binary (.pfb) or ASCII (.pfa) files.

AFM files provide essential metadata about a font, such as character widths, kerning pairs, and font bounding box. This information is crucial for various applications, including typesetting systems (like TeX/LaTeX), DVI drivers, and PDF generators, which need to accurately calculate text layout and spacing without necessarily embedding the entire font. By converting the font data to an AFM file, pf2afm enables these applications to work with font metrics efficiently, ensuring precise text rendering and document layout.

The pf2afm command is highly specific to PostScript Type 1 fonts. It cannot process other font formats like TrueType (.ttf), OpenType (.otf), or PostScript Type 3/42 fonts. Ensure the input font file is a valid and uncorrupted PostScript Type 1 file for successful conversion. Malformed or improperly encrypted fonts may lead to errors or incomplete AFM output.

The output .afm file is a plain text file following the Adobe Font Metrics File Format Specification. It contains a structured representation of various font characteristics, including global font information, character metrics (width, bounding box), kerning pairs, and composite character definitions.

pf2afm is typically provided as part of a larger distribution, such as the TeX Live collection of typesetting tools or various PostScript processing utilities. It may rely on underlying libraries or parsers capable of interpreting PostScript font data.

The need for font metric data separate from font outlines became apparent early in desktop publishing and typesetting, particularly with the advent of PostScript fonts. Utilities like pf2afm emerged as part of larger ecosystems, such as those provided by Adobe, TeX distributions (like TeX Live and MiKTeX), and Ghostscript. Its development focused on providing a reliable way for layout engines to access crucial font dimensions, making it an indispensable tool for systems relying on precise typographic control, bridging the gap between font files and their usage in documents.

gs(1), fontforge(1), afm2pl(1), afm2tfm(1), pdflatex(1)