Preparing a font family for safe distribution
Package family files, names, versions, coverage, documentation, previews, and ownership data so updates are recognized correctly and users avoid duplicate installs.
Reviewed
Make internal identity consistent and versionable
Give every file a consistent family name, style name, full name, PostScript name, and unique ID. Use typographic family/subfamily fields for extended families and keep style-linking compatible with target software. Increment a machine-comparable version for each real release; do not reuse the same version string for different outlines.
Validate files as a family, not in isolation
Check cmap coverage, outline validity, metrics, vertical alignment, naming tables, OpenType layout, variable axes, and embedding flags. Compare all styles for missing glyphs and inconsistent code points. Test installation together on clean Windows, macOS, and Linux profiles plus the design applications and browsers you support.
Ship evidence that survives redistribution
Include a plain-text license, author or foundry identity, canonical website, release notes, version, supported formats, and a useful specimen. Keep source banners and screenshots separate from generated previews. Stable metadata lets import systems distinguish an update from a namesake by combining provenance, version, glyph coverage, outline similarity, and file hashes.