TTF - TrueType Font
The most widely supported outline font format, developed by Apple and Microsoft in the late 1980s as a competitor to Adobe's PostScript fonts.
How to convert TTF to WOFF2
WOFF2 packages font data for delivery on the web. Use it when you have a TrueType font and want a smaller web font file, rather than a desktop installation file.
- Open the online font converter and add your TTF files.
- Choose WOFF2. Conversion starts automatically; you can add other available formats too.
- Download each completed WOFF2 file or the ZIP containing your selected outputs.
Add the resulting file to your site with a CSS @font-face rule. Check that your font license permits web embedding. For more background, read the WOFF2 format guide.
Quick Facts
- File Extension
- .ttf
- MIME Type
- font/ttf, application/x-font-ttf
- Developed By
- Apple & Microsoft
- Released
- 1980s (first spec 1991)
- Type
- Vector outline font
- Platform Support
- Universal (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android)
Overview
TrueType is an outline font standard developed by Apple and Microsoft in the late 1980s as a competitor to Adobe's Type 1 PostScript fonts. It has become one of the most common font formats, supported by virtually all operating systems and applications.
TrueType fonts store glyph outlines as quadratic Bézier curves (rather than PostScript's cubic curves), which were easier to rasterize efficiently on the limited hardware of the era. The format includes sophisticated hinting capabilities to ensure fonts render well at small sizes and low resolutions.
Today, TTF remains the de facto standard for font distribution due to its universal compatibility. While OpenType (OTF) offers more advanced features, TTF files continue to be widely used for their simplicity and guaranteed cross-platform support.
Technical Specifications
- Outline Type: Quadratic Bézier curves (second-order splines)
- Hinting: TrueType instructions for optimal rendering at small sizes
- Tables: Binary table-based structure (required: cmap, glyf, head, hhea, hmtx, loca, maxp, name, post)
- Encoding: Supports Unicode character mapping
- Embedding: Embedding permissions can be specified
- Compression: No built-in compression (raw binary format)
Browser & Platform Support
Web Browsers
Supported by all major browsers via @font-face, though WOFF/WOFF2 are preferred for web use due to compression.
Operating Systems
Common Use Cases
Recommended For
- • Desktop publishing and print design
- • Desktop and mobile applications
- • Maximum cross-platform compatibility
- • Font distribution to end users
- • Embedding in documents (PDF, Office)
Consider Alternatives For
- • Web fonts (use WOFF2/WOFF for better compression)
- • Advanced typography features (use OTF)
- • Font development/editing (use UFO or source formats)
Conversion Options
Convert TTF files to these formats using our online tool:
Advantages & Limitations
Advantages
- • Universal compatibility across all platforms
- • Excellent hinting for small-size rendering
- • Well-documented and widely understood
- • Supported by all design and development tools
- • Can be embedded in PDF and Office documents
Limitations
- • No compression (larger file sizes than WOFF/WOFF2)
- • Quadratic curves can require more points than cubic
- • Limited advanced typography features vs. OTF
- • Hinting can be complex to author properly