fonter

Fonter (often written fonter) is a term with no single, widely accepted definition in English. In online typography communities, it is used as an informal label for both people and tools associated with fonts.

As a person, a fonter can refer to a font designer or type designer, a font curator, or a designer who specializes in testing fonts across platforms and in adjusting metrics such as kerning, hinting, and glyph outlines to improve rendering and readability.

As software, a fonter may denote a utility that processes font files. Common tasks include converting fonts between formats (for example, TrueType, OpenType, and webfont variants), subsetting glyphs to reduce file size, auto-hinting and hinting adjustments, and editing metadata or licensing information. Because the term is informal, individual projects may use it in different ways or as part of a brand name.

Etymology and usage: The word appears to be derived from "font" plus the agentive suffix "-er" and tends to surface in informal discussions, code comments, or project documentation rather than formal industry titles. The lack of standard definition means its meaning is highly context-dependent, and it may overlap with terms like font designer, type designer, font editor, or font converter.

See also: font, typeface, font editor, font converter, webfont.