CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en-US"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=Edge"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/css/just-the-docs-default.css"> <script src="/assets/js/vendor/lunr.min.js"></script> <script src="/assets/js/just-the-docs.js"></script> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link rel="icon" href="/assets/images/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon">  <title>About Graphite | Graphite</title> <meta name="generator" content="Jekyll v4.3.2" /> <meta property="og:title" content="About Graphite" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta name="description" content="Site for Graphite" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Site for Graphite" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://silnrsi.github.io/graphite/graphite_about.html" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://silnrsi.github.io/graphite/graphite_about.html" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Graphite" /> <meta property="og:type" content="website" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" /> <meta property="twitter:title" content="About Graphite" /> <script type="application/ld+json"> {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","description":"Site for Graphite","headline":"About Graphite","url":"https://silnrsi.github.io/graphite/graphite_about.html"}</script>  </head> <body> <a class="skip-to-main" href="#main-content">Skip to main content</a> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="d-none"> <symbol id="svg-link" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <title>Link</title> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather feather-link"> <path d="M10 13a5 5 0 0 0 7.54.54l3-3a5 5 0 0 0-7.07-7.07l-1.72 1.71"></path><path d="M14 11a5 5 0 0 0-7.54-.54l-3 3a5 5 0 0 0 7.07 7.07l1.71-1.71"></path> </svg> </symbol> <symbol id="svg-menu" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <title>Menu</title> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather feather-menu"> <line x1="3" y1="12" x2="21" y2="12"></line><line x1="3" y1="6" x2="21" y2="6"></line><line x1="3" y1="18" x2="21" y2="18"></line> </svg> </symbol> <symbol id="svg-arrow-right" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <title>Expand</title> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather feather-chevron-right"> <polyline points="9 18 15 12 9 6"></polyline> </svg> </symbol>  <symbol id="svg-external-link" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather feather-external-link"> <title id="svg-external-link-title">(external link)</title> <path d="M18 13v6a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H5a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V8a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h6"></path><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><line x1="10" y1="14" x2="21" y2="3"></line> </symbol> <symbol id="svg-doc" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <title>Document</title> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather feather-file"> <path d="M13 2H6a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v16a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h12a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V9z"></path><polyline points="13 2 13 9 20 9"></polyline> </svg> </symbol> <symbol id="svg-search" viewBox="0 0 24 24"> <title>Search</title> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="feather feather-search"> <circle cx="11" cy="11" r="8"></circle><line x1="21" y1="21" x2="16.65" y2="16.65"></line> </svg> </symbol>  <symbol id="svg-copy" viewBox="0 0 16 16"> <title>Copy</title> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="16" height="16" fill="currentColor" class="bi bi-clipboard" viewBox="0 0 16 16"> <path d="M4 1.5H3a2 2 0 0 0-2 2V14a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h10a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V3.5a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-1v1h1a1 1 0 0 1 1 1V14a1 1 0 0 1-1 1H3a1 1 0 0 1-1-1V3.5a1 1 0 0 1 1-1h1v-1z"/> <path d="M9.5 1a.5.5 0 0 1 .5.5v1a.5.5 0 0 1-.5.5h-3a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5v-1a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h3zm-3-1A1.5 1.5 0 0 0 5 1.5v1A1.5 1.5 0 0 0 6.5 4h3A1.5 1.5 0 0 0 11 2.5v-1A1.5 1.5 0 0 0 9.5 0h-3z"/> </svg> </symbol> <symbol id="svg-copied" viewBox="0 0 16 16"> <title>Copied</title> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="16" height="16" fill="currentColor" class="bi bi-clipboard-check-fill" viewBox="0 0 16 16"> <path d="M6.5 0A1.5 1.5 0 0 0 5 1.5v1A1.5 1.5 0 0 0 6.5 4h3A1.5 1.5 0 0 0 11 2.5v-1A1.5 1.5 0 0 0 9.5 0h-3Zm3 1a.5.5 0 0 1 .5.5v1a.5.5 0 0 1-.5.5h-3a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5v-1a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h3Z"/> <path d="M4 1.5H3a2 2 0 0 0-2 2V14a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h10a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V3.5a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-1v1A2.5 2.5 0 0 1 9.5 5h-3A2.5 2.5 0 0 1 4 2.5v-1Zm6.854 7.354-3 3a.5.5 0 0 1-.708 0l-1.5-1.5a.5.5 0 0 1 .708-.708L7.5 10.793l2.646-2.647a.5.5 0 0 1 .708.708Z"/> </svg> </symbol> </svg> <div class="side-bar"> <div class="site-header" role="banner"> <a href="/" class="site-title lh-tight"> Graphite </a> <button id="menu-button" class="site-button btn-reset" aria-label="Toggle menu" aria-pressed="false"> <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" class="icon" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-menu"></use></svg> </a> </div> <nav aria-label="Main" id="site-nav" class="site-nav"> <ul class="nav-list"><li class="nav-list-item"><a href="/" class="nav-list-link">Home</a></li><li class="nav-list-item active"><button class="nav-list-expander btn-reset" aria-label="toggle items in About Graphite category" aria-pressed="true"> <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg> </button><a href="/graphite_about.html" class="nav-list-link active">About Graphite</a><ul class="nav-list"><li class="nav-list-item "><a href="/graphite_aboutWhy.html" class="nav-list-link">Why was Graphite developed?</a></li><li class="nav-list-item "><button class="nav-list-expander btn-reset" aria-label="toggle items in Graphite and OpenType category" aria-pressed="false"> <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg> </button><a href="/graphite_aboutOT.html" class="nav-list-link">Graphite and OpenType</a><ul class="nav-list"><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/graphite_otcompare.html" class="nav-list-link">Comparison of OpenType and Graphite shaping speeds in a Nastaliq context</a> </li></ul></li><li class="nav-list-item "><a href="/graphite_techAbout.html" class="nav-list-link">Graphite technical overview</a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-list-item"><a href="/graphite_news.html" class="nav-list-link">News</a></li><li class="nav-list-item"><button class="nav-list-expander btn-reset" aria-label="toggle items in Using Graphite category" aria-pressed="false"> <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg> </button><a href="/graphite_appsParent.html" class="nav-list-link">Using Graphite</a><ul class="nav-list"><li class="nav-list-item "><a href="/graphite_apps.html" class="nav-list-link">Applications that support Graphite</a></li><li class="nav-list-item "><a href="/graphite_firefox.html" class="nav-list-link">Graphite and Firefox</a></li><li class="nav-list-item "><a href="/graphite_fontdemo.html" class="nav-list-link">Graphite Font Demo</a></li><li class="nav-list-item "><a href="/graphite_fonts.html" class="nav-list-link">Graphite-enabled Fonts</a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-list-item"><button class="nav-list-expander btn-reset" aria-label="toggle items in Developers category" aria-pressed="false"> <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg> </button><a href="/graphite_dev.html" class="nav-list-link">Developers</a><ul class="nav-list"><li class="nav-list-item "><a href="/graphite_devFont.html" class="nav-list-link">Font Development</a></li><li class="nav-list-item "><a href="/graide.html" class="nav-list-link">Graide</a></li><li class="nav-list-item "><button class="nav-list-expander btn-reset" aria-label="toggle items in Graphite Tutorial category" aria-pressed="false"> <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-arrow-right"></use></svg> </button><a href="/graide_tutorial.html" class="nav-list-link">Graphite Tutorial</a><ul class="nav-list"><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial1.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 1</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial2.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 2</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial3.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 3</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial4.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 4</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial5.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 5</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial6.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 6</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial7.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 7</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial8.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 8</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial8a.html" class="nav-list-link">Intermission</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial9.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 9</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial10.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 10</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial11.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 11</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial12.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 12</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial13.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 13</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial14.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 14</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial15.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 15</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial16.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 16</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial17.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 17</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial18.html" class="nav-list-link">Unit 18</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graide_tutorial_end.html" class="nav-list-link">Conclusion</a> </li><li class="nav-list-item "> <a href="/tutorial/graphite_tut_solutions.html" class="nav-list-link">Solutions to Tutorial Exercises</a> </li></ul></li><li class="nav-list-item "><a href="/graphite_codeSnippets.html" class="nav-list-link">GDL Code Snippets</a></li><li class="nav-list-item "><a href="/graphite_devApp.html" class="nav-list-link">Adding Graphite to Your Application</a></li></ul></li><li class="nav-list-item"><a href="/graphite_download.html" class="nav-list-link">Download</a></li><li class="nav-list-item"><a href="/graphite_support.html" class="nav-list-link">Support</a></li><li class="nav-list-item"><a href="/graphite_contact.html" class="nav-list-link">Contact</a></li></ul> </nav> <footer class="site-footer"> This site uses <a href="https://github.com/just-the-docs/just-the-docs">Just the Docs</a>, a documentation theme for Jekyll. </footer> </div> <div class="main" id="top"> <div id="main-header" class="main-header"> <div class="search" role="search"> <div class="search-input-wrap"> <input type="text" id="search-input" class="search-input" tabindex="0" placeholder="Search Graphite site" aria-label="Search Graphite site" autocomplete="off"> <label for="search-input" class="search-label"><svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" class="search-icon"><use xlink:href="#svg-search"></use></svg></label> </div> <div id="search-results" class="search-results"></div> </div> <nav aria-label="Auxiliary" class="aux-nav"> <ul class="aux-nav-list"> <li class="aux-nav-list-item"> <a href="https://github.com/silnrsi/graphite" class="site-button" > Repository </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> <div id="main-content-wrap" class="main-content-wrap"> <div id="main-content" class="main-content"> <main> <h1 id="about-graphite"> <a href="#about-graphite" class="anchor-heading" aria-labelledby="about-graphite"><svg viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-link"></use></svg></a> About Graphite </h1> <h2 id="what-is-graphite"> <a href="#what-is-graphite" class="anchor-heading" aria-labelledby="what-is-graphite"><svg viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-link"></use></svg></a> What is Graphite? </h2> <p>Graphite is a package that can be used to create “smart fonts” capable of displaying writing systems with various complex behaviors. A smart font contains not only letter shapes but also additional instructions indicating how to combine and position the letters in complex ways.</p> <p>Graphite was developed to provide the flexibility needed for lesser-known languages which often need to be written according to slightly different rules than well-known languages that use the same script.</p> <p>Examples of complex script behaviors Graphite can handle include:</p> <ul> <li>contextual shaping</li> <li>ligatures</li> <li>reordering</li> <li>split glyphs</li> <li>bidirectionality</li> <li>stacking diacritics</li> <li>complex positioning</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://scriptsource.org/cms/scripts/page.php?item_id=entry_detail&uid=lu6terdg9u" target="_blank">↗ Examples of complex rendering</a></p> <h2 id="graphite-system-overview"> <a href="#graphite-system-overview" class="anchor-heading" aria-labelledby="graphite-system-overview"><svg viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-link"></use></svg></a> Graphite system overview </h2> <p>The Graphite system consists of:</p> <ul> <li>a rule-based programming language called Graphite Description Language (GDL) that can be used to describe the behavior of a writing system</li> <li>a compiler for that language</li> <li>a rendering engine that can serve as the layout component of a text-processing application</li> </ul> <p>Graphite renders TrueType fonts that have been extended by means of compiling a GDL program.</p> <p>Further technical information is available on the <a href="graphite_techAbout">Graphite technical overview page</a>.</p> <h2 id="why-was-graphite-developed"> <a href="#why-was-graphite-developed" class="anchor-heading" aria-labelledby="why-was-graphite-developed"><svg viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-link"></use></svg></a> Why was Graphite developed? </h2> <p>SIL International is a non-profit organization that performs linguistic research, literacy development, and translation work among ethnic minorities around the world. Our members are currently working with approximately a thousand language groups on six continents, and increasingly, many of the areas in which we work use scripts that require complex rendering.</p> <p><a href="graphite_aboutWhy">Read more…</a></p> <h2 id="graphite-and-opentype"> <a href="#graphite-and-opentype" class="anchor-heading" aria-labelledby="graphite-and-opentype"><svg viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-link"></use></svg></a> Graphite and OpenType </h2> <p>OpenType is the most prevalent smart font technology. Given the extra costs of supporting Graphite in addition to OpenType, what are the gains?</p> <p>Graphite and OpenType are not competing technologies. Applications may support both Graphite and OpenType rendering and fonts may be developed that work with both Graphite and OpenType.</p> <p><a href="graphite_aboutOT">Read more…</a></p> <h2 id="why-should-i-add-graphite-to-my-font"> <a href="#why-should-i-add-graphite-to-my-font" class="anchor-heading" aria-labelledby="why-should-i-add-graphite-to-my-font"><svg viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-link"></use></svg></a> Why should I add Graphite to my font? </h2> <p>The following are some benefits of including Graphite support in a font:</p> <ul> <li>Graphite provides a way to support a complex script that is not yet handled by standard software (ie, OpenType drivers such as Uniscribe, ICU rendering, etc.).</li> <li>Graphite permits customized rules for lesser-known languages, and/or serves as a mechanism to easily add them in the future.</li> <li>Graphite supports complex behavior that cannot be handled by OpenType, such as positioning based on the positions and/or sizes of neighboring glyphs, etc.</li> <li>Using Graphite, it is possible to quickly implement a complex set of rules that are feasible but more difficult to handle in OpenType.</li> <li>Graphite permits user-definable features beyond the defined set of OpenType features.</li> <li>Graphite provides consistent smart behavior across all applications.</li> </ul> <h2 id="what-is-graide"> <a href="#what-is-graide" class="anchor-heading" aria-labelledby="what-is-graide"><svg viewBox="0 0 16 16" aria-hidden="true"><use xlink:href="#svg-link"></use></svg></a> What is Graide? </h2> <p>Graide is a development and debugging tool for use in creating Graphite fonts. It stands for <strong>GRA</strong>phite <strong>I</strong>ntegrated <strong>D</strong>evelopment <strong>E</strong>nvironment.</p> <p><a href="graide">Read more…</a></p> </main> <hr> <footer> <p class="text-small text-grey-dk-100 mb-0">Copyright © 2012-2023 SIL International and released under the <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license (CC-BY-SA)</a> unless noted otherwise.</p> </footer> </div> </div> <div class="search-overlay"></div> </div> </body> </html>