TTF to SFD Converter

Export TrueType fonts to editable SFD source format online for free

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Full Editing Access

SFD unlocks every aspect of your TTF for modification — glyph paths, spacing, kerning, hinting, and metadata become directly editable.

TTF to Source Format

Bridge the gap between compiled TTF binaries and editable font sources. SFD gives font developers complete control over every design detail.

Secure Processing

Your uploaded TTF fonts are deleted immediately after conversion, and SFD outputs are removed within 24 hours to protect your work.

How to convert TTF to SFD

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose sfd or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your sfd file right afterwards

About formats

TTF (TrueType Font) is a scalable outline font format developed by Apple Computer in the late 1980s and first shipped with Mac System 7 on May 13, 1991. Microsoft licensed the technology shortly after and included TrueType support in Windows 3.1 in 1992, establishing it as the dominant desktop font technology for over a decade. TrueType describes glyph shapes using quadratic Bezier splines — simpler mathematically than the cubic Bezier curves in PostScript fonts — stored alongside a powerful instruction set (the "hinting" language) that controls exactly how outlines are rasterized at each pixel size. This instruction-based hinting gives type designers pixel-level control over rendering at small sizes on low-resolution screens, producing exceptionally crisp text. The format stores all font data — outlines, metrics, kerning, naming, and hinting — in a single file organized as a directory of tagged data tables. One advantage is universal platform support: TTF files render natively on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and virtually every operating system and web browser without conversion or plugins. The byte-code hinting system is another distinctive strength, enabling screen rendering quality that remained superior to competing technologies until high-DPI displays reduced the importance of pixel-level optimization. TrueType's table-based architecture also proved remarkably extensible, serving as the structural foundation for the OpenType specification that added advanced typographic features and PostScript outline support on top of the TrueType container.
Developer: Apple Computer
Initial release: May 13, 1991
SFD (SplineFont Database) is the native source file format of FontForge, the free and open-source font editor originally created by George Williams in 2000 under the name PfaEdit. The format stores a complete font project — glyph outlines (cubic and quadratic splines), advance widths, side bearings, hinting instructions, kerning and OpenType feature tables, naming records, and metadata — in a single human-readable text file. Each glyph is described by its Unicode code point, outline coordinates, reference composites, and anchors, making the entire font design inspectable and diffable with standard text tools. SFD functions as the editable working format during font development, from which finished fonts are compiled to binary formats like OTF, TTF, or WOFF. A primary advantage is version control friendliness — because SFD is plain text, font designers can track changes to individual glyphs, merge contributions from collaborators, and maintain full revision history using Git or any other VCS. The format's completeness is another strength: it preserves every piece of data that FontForge can represent, including TrueType instructions, contextual substitution lookups, and multiple master axes, avoiding round-trip data loss during editing. The SFD specification is publicly documented and has evolved through several versions. FontForge's widespread adoption in the open-source type design community means SFD serves as the source format for hundreds of freely licensed font families distributed worldwide.
Developer: George Williams
Initial release: November 7, 2000

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert TTF to SFD?

SFD is FontForge's native editable format — converting from TTF lets you modify individual glyphs, adjust metrics, and rebuild the font with changes.

What software opens SFD?

FontForge is the primary editor for SFD files. It's free, open-source, and available on Windows, macOS, and Linux for comprehensive font editing.

Is all glyph data preserved in SFD?

Yes. SFD captures outlines, hints, kerning tables, and metadata from your TTF — nothing is lost during the conversion to source format.

Can I convert SFD back to TTF later?

Absolutely. FontForge can generate TTF (and many other formats) from SFD, making it a perfect round-trip editing workflow.

Is there a fee for this conversion?

No. Convertio converts TTF to SFD for free — upload your font and download the editable source without charge.

TTF to SFD Quality Rating

4.4 (45 votes)
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