FreeType for Windows

Software library for font rendering

FreeType is a lightweight, customizable, and C-written software library that you can use to create fonts for a variety of projects. It can produce high-quality output in most font formats, making FreeType a staple for many projects.

This software font engine does not provide APIs for more advanced features such as text layout or graphic processing. It still has many uses. Developers can use it to create display servers, font libraries, font conversion tools and text image generator tools.

FreeType allows you to use both standard APIs to access font content, and format-specific APIs to reach specific data. It has a modular design that allows you to reduce the code size by only compiling the modules required at any given time.

The design can be used with embedded systems. Client applications can be used to manage memory. The I/O stream implementation allows you to use the same API to access ROM-based, remote, and compressed font-files.

The program supports many font formats, including TrueType, OpenType, and collections, as well as Type 1, CFF and WOFF fonts. Type 42 fonts are also supported, but only in limited quantities. These fonts can be used as wrappers for TrueType.

Developers have two open-source licenses for FreeType. GNU version 3 is compatible with the FreeType License. It can also be used under GNU Public License Version 2, which allows it to work with exclusive and free projects.

FreeType 2 is the current version of the program. This distinguishes it form the original iteration which has no maintenance or support.

FreeType was written in ANSI C and can be used with any C/C++ compiler. It doesn't require any dependencies so you can install it on any platform. External libraries can be disabled if you don't wish to use them.

While there are some developers working on more comprehensive alternatives like RustType or XML, FreeType is widely used. It is the most simple and effective way to render fonts in any type of project, for any developer.