Local testing Checklist

[RosaWagner]

Since your fonts of different formats have the same naming, you will have to test formats one by one, restarting the computer between each to avoid cache issues and conflicts.

MAC

Installation

• [x] No conflict during installation (in user fonts folder: user/Library/Fonts)
• [x] Fonts appear in Fontbook
• [x] Fonts looks good in Fontbook

Usage

External office app : MS Word*, LibreOffice…

• [x] Upright fonts appear in alphabetical order in dropdown menu
• [x] VF : At least 1 instance appear in dropdown menu (font-origin)
• [x] Style linking works properly (bold and italic button or regular, italic button for all other cuts)
• [x] Fonts are displayed correctly (basic alphabet)
• [x] Kerning has compiled (just display few kerning pairs to see if it works, also using letters with components)

External layout app : Adobe Indesign, Affity…

• [x] All styles appear in weight order in dropdown menu
• [x] Fonts are displayed correctly
• [x] All Opentype Features work properly (activation from menu or style)
• [x] VF: must be tested in Illustrator and Indesign at least

Primary app : TextEdit

• [x] Font appear in font dropdown menu, all styles appear in style dropdown menu (order looks random)
• [x] Style linking works properly
• [x] Fonts are displayed correctly

(!) In MS Word, kerning is applied to the text as an option, it is not a parameter that you activate for all your documents. You find it in the advanced parameters of Fonts settings: you have to check the box and specify a minimum text size to apply kerning (5pt for Mac and 8pt for Windows). (!)(!) MS Word creates a fake bold and a fake italic when style linking is absent or not working properly. (!)(!)(!) If you had a different naming for TTF or variable font, you would have also check their compatibility : install them all and test them at the same time in the app. (!)(!)(!)(!) Don't forget to remove fonts from fonts folder at the end of testing.

WINDOWS

Installation

• [x] No conflict during installation
• [x] Fonts appear in C://Fonts folder

Double-click on each cut and check if:

• [x] Outline type is correct (PS for .otf, TT for .ttf)
• [x] Font is digitally signed
• [x] Font is displayed correctly (small size in waterfall)

Usage

Office app : MS Word

• [x] Upright fonts appear in alphabetical order in dropdown menu
• [x] VF : At least 1 instance appear in dropdown menu (font-origin)
• [x] Style linking works properly (bold and italic button or regular, italic button for all other cuts)
• [x] Fonts are displayed correctly (basic alphabet)
• [x] Kerning has compiled (just display few kerning pairs to see if it works)

Hinting (from 9-10ppm to 50ppm)

• You can use image-waterfall generated by diffbrowser (if you have gftools-qa installed)

• If you use a html page: display in in firefox or chrome on a normal resolution screen (higher than HD is probably not very useful)

• Check hinting on Widows for truetype fonts, on Mac for postscript fonts

• Since hinting is managed by fontmake, there is not much to do except looking if the font is better with or without hinting. For that you can use GF Regression and upload 2 versions of generated font (hinted and unhinted).

You can still check what hinting is made for:

• [ ] All glyphs are well aligned: if you see your /r higher than other letter, it is probably because top point is out of the blue zone. So checks where your guidelines normally are (baseline, x-height, caps-height, ascenders, descenders)
• [ ] Superior and inferiors figures are well aligned too with each other.
• [ ] No overshoot until 48-50ppm
• [ ] Glyphs are aligned also between styles (bold is not higher than Regular at the same ppm size)
• [ ] Glyphset is consistent (there is no glyph better or worse than the other)
• [ ] Letters are readable
• [ ] Weight is equally distributed (horizontally and vertically) in symmetrical letters (o, e g, c)
• [ ] Spacing is not messed up
• [ ] Accents don't clash with letters
• [ ] Counter-shaped are not closed (e, g, ring)
• [ ] Upright and italic of the same weight have a consistent weight
• [ ] Dots on /i and /j are aligned

Testing stuff

Platforms (handy for VF)

• FontDrop
• Wakamai Fondue
• Impallari testing page
• Axis praxis and Samsa
• Dinamo font gautlet

App/tool:

• Font Goggles
• DTL OT Master
• Font table viewer (for static fonts)
• Fontproof (still in development)

[sursly]

Hey, is this assigned to me? I have no windows computer to test things on, sadly.

[RosaWagner]

You do for Mac, I will do for windows ;) And if ever you have a virtual machine at some point, you will have the checklist.

[RosaWagner]

Ah and since Google Fonts only distribute TTF, you can test the ttf also on web-app on Mac.

[sursly]

Thanks, got it!

[RosaWagner]

I wrote everything, but the most important part is installation, features in indesign, display on Word, display on web. Complete testing should take 2 to 3 hours max. If you make a little change and re-generate a font you tested before, just check if Word can display it (if it works there, it works everywhere) 😅

[sursly]

Just commenting here that my mind is blown that I have to turn on kerning in Word. It worked (looked pretty rough before I did that, though). Powerpoint kerning is not working, but I won't worry about that now.