TypeTalk is a regular blog on typography. Post your questions and comments by clicking on the Comments icon above. If Ilene answers your question in the blog, you'll receive one Official Creativepro.com T-Shirt!

Q. How can I create my own font? What program is best to use?

A. The answer depends on what you want to do. To create new, full-blown, professional-quality OpenType fonts, FontLab Studio ($649) is the way to go. This professional font editor is used by foundries and typeface designers alike. It is the only program that fully supports the advanced OpenType features, including extended characters sets, advanced kerning and hinting capabilities, and complete Unicode support. If you go this route, check out Learn FontLab Fast by Leslie Cabarga.

Font Lab Studio 5's Glyph Window.

If you prefer a basic font editor without all the bells and whistles, TypeTool is an option. TypeTool ($99) is intended for students, hobby typographers, and creative professionals who only occasionally create or customize fonts. It's obviously a lot cheaper than FontLab Studio, and while it can be used to create basic OpenType fonts, it doesn't support the advanced OpenType features. If you think you might want to include small caps, for example, or both lining and old style figures, TypeTool is not the solution for you. If you want a professional-quality font editor, but don't plan to work with or create OpenType fonts, Fontographer ($349) might be the way to go. This venerable program was once the professionals' program of choice. When FontLab Ltd. bought Fontographer from Macromedia, they updated the app for Mac OS X but didn't include OpenType support, reserving that for their premiere font editor, FontLab.

All three programs are available from www.fontlab.com. Students and educators can take advantage of the hefty (20% to 45%) educational discounts.

Love type? Want to know more? Ilene Strizver conducts her acclaimed Gourmet Typography workshops internationally. For more information on attending one or bringing it to your company, organization, or school, go to her site, call The Type Studio at 203-227-5929, or email Ilene at info@thetypestudio.com. Sign up for her e-newsletter at www.thetypestudio.com.