UFO (font source)
Also known as: .ufo file, Unified Font Object, UFO source
UFO (Unified Font Object) is an open, editable source format for fonts. Rather than a finished file, a .ufo is a folder of XML files describing every glyph and setting, used by type designers before exporting to TTF or OTF.
- Open, editable source format for fonts
- A folder of XML files, not a single binary
- Exported to TTF or OTF for actual use
UFO as a source format
A UFO is the editable master, not the shipped font. It stores each glyph and the font’s metadata as human-readable XML, so the work can be version-controlled and shared across tools like Glyphs, RoboFont, and FontForge.
Although it ends in .ufo, it is actually a folder (package) containing many files, not a single binary.
From UFO to a usable font
Browsers and operating systems cannot use a UFO directly. Designers export it to TTF or OTF (and then WOFF2 for the web) to produce the installable, distributable font.