What is AFM?

Adobe Font Metrics (AFM) is a text file describing Type 1 font metrics including character widths, kerning pairs, and bounding boxes.

What is TTC?

TrueType Collection (TTC) bundles multiple TrueType fonts into a single file, commonly used for CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) font families.

When Should You Use AFM vs TTC?

AFM vs TTC: Key Differences

• •The core technical difference: AFM relies on lossless compression whereas TTC uses lossless compression.
• •Both formats share lossless compression, so quality behavior is similar across the two — file size differences come from algorithm efficiency rather than compression philosophy.
• •Transparency: N/A
• •File sizes: AFM files typically range Very small, text-based metrics and TTC files 5-30MB for CJK font collections.
• •AFM is optimized for postscript font metrics, pdf font embedding while TTC is designed for font distribution, cjk font collections — choose based on your specific workflow needs

Advantages of AFM

• ✓AFM uses lossless compression tailored for PostScript font metrics, PDF font embedding.
• ✓AFM is supported natively on virtually every device, browser, and operating system.
• ✓AFM files are bit-for-bit perfect, preserving every pixel and sample for professional work.
• ✓AFM integrates seamlessly with all major creative tools and workflows.

Advantages of TTC

• ✓The lossless nature of TTC means file sizes stay reasonable while handling Font distribution, CJK font collections efficiently.
• ✓From mobile devices to enterprise servers, TTC is recognized and supported everywhere.
• ✓The trade-off for TTC's perfection is larger files — but for archival work, it is worth every megabyte.
• ✓TTC is a first-class citizen in all major software ecosystems, from creative suites to development environments.

Common Use Cases for AFM to TTC Conversion

• Print design
• Mobile apps
• Desktop publishing
• E-book formatting
• User interfaces
• Marketing materials

Industry Applications

Best Practices for AFM to TTC Conversion

• →Before converting AFM to TTC, review the font license — some licenses restrict format conversion
• →Check hinting data after conversion: TTC may handle TrueType hinting differently than AFM
• →Verify that all character sets (Latin, Cyrillic, CJK, etc.) survived the conversion intact
• →Test the converted font in both a browser and a desktop application
• →Keep the original font file in case the conversion alters spacing metrics

Troubleshooting AFM to TTC Conversion

• !TTC font doesn't render correctly → check if TTC supports all glyphs present in AFM
• !Licensing restrictions after AFM to TTC conversion → verify the font license allows format conversion
• !Hinting data lost converting AFM to TTC → some font formats like TTC may not preserve TrueType hinting
• !Special characters missing from converted TTC → font subsetting may have removed unused glyphs

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