TTF, short for TrueType Font, is a font format developed by Apple in the late 1980s and later adopted by Microsoft. Its outlines are described by quadratic curves and it allows very precise hinting, which long made it the preferred format for on-screen display.
Where to see it
TTF is recognizable by the .ttf extension, found on most Windows system fonts such as Arial or Verdana. Many of today's .ttf files are in fact OpenType fonts with TrueType outlines, which causes some confusion between the two formats.
Why this detail matters
TTF remains an essential format, as long as you know what it contains:
- Its very precise hinting allowed it to deliver sharp letters on low-resolution screens, hence its historical place in operating systems;
- It is recognized by virtually all software and systems, which makes it a safe format for sharing or installing a font;
- For the web, it is converted to the lighter WOFF2, and for print, an OTF file is often preferred when available.
Related term
OTF is the other major font format, whose outlines are described in PostScript using cubic Bézier curves.