OpenType features

 

By Stefan Peev, July 24, 2018

 

Why we need to understand OpenType features

Much of the font creator programs offer nowadays simplified ways to create OpenType features. But when the things go wrong these programs could not help us. So we need to understand the structure, the logic and the syntax of the OpenType features.
Like in every other process, which we want to know how to rule, we need to start with some learning. Here are the basic resources for OpenType features.

Please, note that even well written OpenType features could not work. Why? Because the use of OpenType features relies on your applications’ support. Click here to see OpenType features’ support in applications. Check here for the browsers’ support for font-feature-settings.

  • feature numr
  • feature dnom
  • feature frac
  • feature sups
  • feature subs
  • feature sinf
  • feature ordn
  • feature tnum
  • feature onum
  • feature pnum
  • feature lnum
  • feature zero
  • feature locl
  • feature ccmp
  • feature case
  • feature c2sc
  • feature smcp
  • feature liga
  • feature dlig
  • feature calt
Feature Name/Description
Feature Tag
Glyph Suffixes
SMALL CAPS
smcp
.sc   .smcp   .small   small
OLDSTYLE FIGURES
onum
.osf   .oldstyle   oldstyle
TABULAR FIGURES
tnum
.tf
PROPORTIONAL FIGURES
pnum
.lf   .fitted
TABULAR OLDSTYLE FIGURES
 
.tosf   .taboldstyle
SUPERIORS
sups
.sups   .superior   superior
INFERIORS
sinf
.sinf   .inferior   inferior
NUMERATORS
numr
.numerator   .numr
DENOMINATORS
dnom
.denominator   .dnom
CASE ACCENTS
case
.case   .cap
CAPITALS TO SMALL CAPS
c2sc
.c2sc

Further Readings

Tal Leming: OpenType Cookbook
Martin Wenzel, Christoph Koeberlin: An Introduction to OpenType Substitution Features
Glyphs: Tutorials Tagged “OpenType Features”
Glyphs: Features, part 4: positional alternates
Glyphs: Ligatures
FontLab VI Help: OpenType Features
Microsoft Typography: Feature tags
Adobe: AFDKO
Adobe Type Tools: AGL (Adobe Glyph List) and AGLFN (Adobe Glyph List For New Fonts)
GlyphsInfo: GlyphsInfo Repo
Simon Cozens: OpenType Features
Simon Cozens: OpenType Feature Database
Simon Cozens: OpenType Feature Database (website)
WIKIPEDIA: List of typographic features
TYPEDRAWERS: Collecting (glyph name) suffixes
TYPEDRAWERS: Help to make a connecting font
David Blatner: OPENTYPE STYLISTIC ALTERNATIVES AND CHARACTER VARIANTS
Tunghsiao Liu: The Complete CSS Demo for OpenType Features
 

Remarks

Stefan Peev

Stefan Peev is a graphic designer and typographer from Bulgaria.

 

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