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Import a font

Import a font when you need a typeface Boldbobbin doesn't include, such as a customer's brand font or a favorite script. Boldbobbin turns the ordinary font file into a stitchable one, and you can then pick it in the Text dialog like any bundled face. See Fonts and lettering for what "digitized" means here.

Import one​

  1. Click Import font in the tool rail's Lettering group.

  2. Choose font file… and pick a .ttf, .otf, or .ttc. Boldbobbin reads it and shows the family name and how many glyphs it has.

  3. Choose how much to digitize now:

    • Letters and numbers (A–Z, a–z, 0–9)
    • Letters, numbers and punctuation (the default)
    • The whole font

    Each option shows its glyph count and a time estimate measured on your own machine. Anything you skip is digitized the first time you type it, so the narrow options aren't a limitation, just a shorter wait now.

  4. Click Import and watch the progress. Stop keeps every glyph finished so far; the rest are done on demand later.

The font arrives digitized all three ways (running, satin, and tatami), with size ranges that suit its own strokes. It's then available in the Text dialog under Your fonts.

Example: a customer's brand font for name tags
  1. Click Import font and Choose font file…, then pick the customer's .otf.
  2. Keep Letters, numbers and punctuation: name tags rarely need more.
  3. Click Import and wait for the progress to finish.
  4. Press T, pick the font under Your fonts, and type the first name.

If an accented letter turns up later (an "é", say), it is digitized the first time you type it.

Naming

The family name comes from the file name, not the font's internal name, so Roboto-Bold.ttf stays distinct from Roboto-Regular.ttf. Importing a name you already have adds a numbered copy rather than replacing anything.

Limits​

  • Latin alphabets only. Boldbobbin checks this as soon as you pick the file and refuses others with "This font isn't supported yet", naming the script it found. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, Indic scripts, Thai, Cyrillic, and Greek are all declined for now.
  • A file Boldbobbin can't use as a font is refused: "That file isn't a usable font (TTF or OTF)."
  • A font with no outlined glyphs is rejected: "That font has no outlined glyphs to stitch."

Importing a .bbf​

A .bbf is Boldbobbin's own digitized-font file: a typeface plus the stitches for every letter. If you have one (exported from Boldbobbin on another machine, or a backup of your own work), bring it in with Import .bbf… in the Lettering library. It arrives already digitized, so there's no waiting.

Importing a .bbf is free, including on the Free plan, so you can always restore your own backup. Only exporting one needs Pro.

On the desktop app you can also just double-click a .bbf file and Boldbobbin imports it, then opens the Lettering library so you can see it. Your current design isn't touched.

What happens next​

Your imported font is stored on this computer, and mirrored to your account if your plan includes cloud fonts. You can use it right away, or open it in the font editor to correct individual letters.

Remember that exporting a design which uses your own font needs Pro, while creating, previewing and stitching with it is free. See Plans and credits.