This hands-on session will focus on the (post)production process of (variable) fonts using FoundryMaster and DTL OTMaster. FoundryMaster, developed at URW for macOS, Windows and Linux, is the successor of DTL FontMaster, of which the first edition was released at the ATypI Copenhagen conference back in 2001. Both applications find their origin in the IKARUS system from Dr. Peter Karow, who stood at the cradle of digital typography roughly 40 years ago. If everything goes according to plan, the first retail edition of FoundryMaster will be released at TYPO Labs 2018.
DTL OTMaster is the font utility that allows users to visually edit the contents of tables in TrueType and OpenType fonts. The first edition of OTM, released in 2009, was received enthusiastically in the field. Adobe’s Dr. Ken Lunde, for example, wrote: ‘[…] I would like to state here that DTL OTMaster is a fabulous tool. The best way for me to characterize it is that it gives me the power of AFDKO’ “spot” tool, and that of TTX, but wrapped up in nice GUI.’ A lot of functionality has been added since then and OTM is in use by type designers and font producers all over the world. If everything goes according to plan, version 7 of OTMaster, which contains extensive support for the OpenType Font Variations format, will be released at TYPO Labs 2018.
FoundryMaster and OTMaster will be demonstrated and discussed by Jürgen Willrodt (URW) and Frank E. Blokland (DTL).
Bring your computer.