TTF to PFA Converter

Convert TrueType fonts to PostScript Type 1 ASCII format online

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Readable Font Code

PFA is plain-text PostScript — perfect for inspecting glyph definitions, debugging font issues, or making manual edits to your converted TTF data.

Curve Translation

Accurately translates TTF quadratic Bezier outlines into PostScript cubic curves, preserving glyph fidelity in the PFA Type 1 format.

No Software Required

The entire TTF to PFA conversion happens on Convertio servers — no PostScript tools or font editors need to be installed locally.

How to convert TTF to PFA

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose pfa or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your pfa file right afterwards

About formats

TTF (TrueType Font) is a scalable outline font format developed by Apple Computer in the late 1980s and first shipped with Mac System 7 on May 13, 1991. Microsoft licensed the technology shortly after and included TrueType support in Windows 3.1 in 1992, establishing it as the dominant desktop font technology for over a decade. TrueType describes glyph shapes using quadratic Bezier splines — simpler mathematically than the cubic Bezier curves in PostScript fonts — stored alongside a powerful instruction set (the "hinting" language) that controls exactly how outlines are rasterized at each pixel size. This instruction-based hinting gives type designers pixel-level control over rendering at small sizes on low-resolution screens, producing exceptionally crisp text. The format stores all font data — outlines, metrics, kerning, naming, and hinting — in a single file organized as a directory of tagged data tables. One advantage is universal platform support: TTF files render natively on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and virtually every operating system and web browser without conversion or plugins. The byte-code hinting system is another distinctive strength, enabling screen rendering quality that remained superior to competing technologies until high-DPI displays reduced the importance of pixel-level optimization. TrueType's table-based architecture also proved remarkably extensible, serving as the structural foundation for the OpenType specification that added advanced typographic features and PostScript outline support on top of the TrueType container.
Developer: Apple Computer
Initial release: May 13, 1991
PFA (Printer Font ASCII) is one of two file representations of Adobe's PostScript Type 1 font format, introduced in 1984 as part of the PostScript page description language. A PFA file contains the complete font program as plain ASCII text — the clear-text header with font name, encoding array, and metrics, followed by a hex-encoded encrypted section (eexec) holding the actual glyph outlines described as cubic Bezier curves with stem hints. Because every byte is represented in printable ASCII characters, PFA files are roughly twice the size of their PFB binary counterparts, but they can be transmitted through any text-safe channel and edited in a standard text editor. PFA became the standard Type 1 distribution format on Unix and Linux systems, where binary font formats were less convenient for PostScript printer pipelines. A key advantage is universal text compatibility — PFA files pass cleanly through email systems, FTP text-mode transfers, and version control without corruption from character encoding transformations. The readable structure also benefits font developers, who can inspect header values and encoding declarations directly. Type 1 fonts in PFA form powered the desktop publishing revolution of the late 1980s and 1990s, with Adobe's font library and the Apple LaserWriter printer establishing PostScript typography as the professional standard. Although OpenType has superseded Type 1 for new font development, PFA files remain in active use within legacy publishing workflows and PostScript/PDF production systems.
Developer: Adobe Systems
Initial release: 1984

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to register to convert TTF to PFA?

No account is required. You can convert TTF to PFA directly without signing up — just upload, convert, and download.

What programs open PFA files?

Any text editor (VS Code, Notepad++) can read PFA source code. For rendering, Ghostscript, TeX distributions, and font editors like FontForge handle PFA.

How does PFA differ from PFB?

PFA is the ASCII (text) version of Type 1 fonts — human-readable but larger. PFB is the binary equivalent — compact but not directly inspectable.

Are glyph outlines accurately converted?

Yes. TTF quadratic curves are translated to PostScript cubic curves, maintaining accurate glyph shapes in the PFA output.

Is this conversion free?

Convertio offers TTF to PFA at no charge — upload your font and download the readable PostScript source freely.

TTF to PFA Quality Rating

4.7 (51 votes)
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