Can FontLab edit and output a webfont without losing data?

Question

A font vendor who shall remain nameless sold me a webfont under the premise that all modern browsers would support switching the old style figures to lining figures without any trouble. Well, by "all modern browsers" then meant Firefox only. Now that I've paid for it, they can't get it to work either.

The font is great and I have no intention to refund it, I just want to swap the OSF glyphs with the lining in the font table. I haven't upgraded FontLab in a few years and I'm wondering how the latest and greatest does with exporting web fonts. I'd like to open the file I downloaded and just move the glyphs around on the table. Anyone have experience with this? Will I lose any hinting or metrics data in the process?

Answer 1

You should go through several steps for each number.

1) double-click on "zero" glyph (this opens glyph editor)

2) remove hints (shift+F7)

3) press ctrl+A, then DEL (remove OSF zero)

4) press ctrl+INS and type 'zero', select lining zero, press ENTER (this action will copy glyph with all the hints as a component which you can "decompose")

To remove kerning select all numbers you want an go to Window -> New Metric Window. Then right-click on any number and "Reset kerning".

After this you can generate new font with lining figures instead OSF :)