What is BDF?

Glyph Bitmap Distribution Format (BDF) is a human-readable bitmap font format for X11, describing glyphs in ASCII text.

What is CFF?

Compact Font Format (CFF) is a PostScript-based font format used in PDF documents and professional printing for efficient font storage.

When Should You Use BDF vs CFF?

BDF vs CFF: Key Differences

• •BDF and CFF diverge on compression: lossless compression for the source, lossless compression for the target.
• •Since both BDF and CFF use lossless compression, the quality characteristics are comparable — differences in file size come down to how efficiently each format implements compression.
• •How transparency is handled: CFF supports transparency, so alpha information is preserved during conversion.
• •BDF files are typically Moderate, plain text font data while CFF files range 15-100KB per font
• •BDF is optimized for x11 terminal fonts, embedded system displays while CFF is designed for professional printing, pdf fonts — choose based on your specific workflow needs

Advantages of BDF

• ✓At its core, BDF relies on lossless encoding — a design choice that makes it perfect for X11 terminal fonts, embedded system displays.
• ✓You won't run into compatibility issues with BDF — it's a universal standard across platforms.
• ✓File size management with BDF: larger files guaranteed to match the original exactly.
• ✓Every major application in the X11 terminal fonts, embedded system displays space supports BDF natively.

Advantages of CFF

• ✓CFF compresses data using lossless methods, keeping file sizes manageable for Professional printing, PDF fonts.
• ✓Industry-wide support means CFF files open anywhere — from legacy systems to the latest devices.
• ✓Lossless quality makes CFF the gold standard for archival and master copies.
• ✓From professional software to open-source alternatives, CFF works out of the box.

Common Use Cases for BDF to CFF Conversion

• User interfaces
• Marketing materials
• Packaging design
• Signage systems
• Icon sets
• Logo design

Industry Applications

Best Practices for BDF to CFF Conversion

• →Before converting BDF to CFF, review the font license — some licenses restrict format conversion
• →Check hinting data after conversion: CFF may handle TrueType hinting differently than BDF
• →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 BDF to CFF Conversion

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

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