What tools to use for finding a font that has the same height/width as existing font

[henrikw]

Hi

I'm wondering if there are any tools I can use to identify an alternative font that has the same x-height. The font I have today is called Gordita(https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/type-atelier/gordita/regular/?meta=/349568/AaBbCcEeFf12345/Gordita/) and I need to find something similar (x-height) but different. It's not a monospace font but it would be good if the width would be similar for each character (but that would be really hard to find I suppose)

So my question is, are there any tools out there that can measure x-height and/or find other fonts that uses the same x-height.

😊

 

[Riccardo Sartori]

First of all, are you talking about print or web usage?

For print I don’t think there is anything other than having the fonts and test them. Fortunately, nowadays, many foundries and resellers offer demos or tryouts.

[henrikw]

On 4/12/2019 at 6:21 PM, Riccardo Sartori said:

First of all, are you talking about print or web usage?

For print I don’t think there is anything other than having the fonts and test them. Fortunately, nowadays, many foundries and resellers offer demos or tryouts.

It's for a display that has a fixed width and height, so you can say web. Perhaps it's just to try a bunch of them?

[Riccardo Sartori]

30 minutes ago, henrikw said:

Perhaps it's just to try a bunch of them?

In my experience, it’s always that 😉

But it can become pretty time-intensive, and ultimately add more confusion than anything.

First of all, I would advise to try to define what “something similar but different” means in this context (“same x-height” is hardly a starting point, since it’s easily adjustable), and shortlist a few features you need or want.

Then, if the text is just a few words, you could look for typefaces that have such features and use the various online testers to eyeball if the proportions would work.

For longer texts, some online testers allow you to set entire paragraphs instead of just a line, including leading. Failing that, you can try first with typefaces with the right features already installed on your computer, and then look for a similar more exclusive and/or fitting alternative.

[pereelmagne]

You may want to try the Glyph Inspector on https://opentype.js.org/glyph-inspector.html. Click on "Choose file" and pick a font from your computer. You will get all the metrics.