There are two ways to make a typeface. You can draw every letter yourself, curve by curve, or you can start from letters that already exist and shape them.
Most font editors work the first way. Typograph works the second way: we drew every curve and trained it on 50,000 hand drawn glyphs, so you start from a template or a description and tune the letterforms.
Time for a family of 10 weights is our own estimate for an experienced designer making a Latin typeface with spacing and kerning, not a figure from the makers. Real projects vary.
You want to draw every letter yourself and need full control over spacing, kerning and production: Glyphs or FontLab.
You want an open source tool: FontForge or Birdfont.
You already draw lettering in Illustrator: Fontself. You want a font of your own handwriting: FontCraft.
You want a finished, usable typeface without drawing hundreds of glyphs: Typograph. Start from a template, tune it, export it.
Facts about other tools come from their own websites, checked 27 October 2026. Prices change, so check theirs before you buy.