I’m using GREP styles to fetch specific glyphs from a .csv data merge file with Indesign.
A transparent glyph would be really useful. But I can’t click & drag a transparent fill & stroke into the Fontself window.
Any ideas?
How to make a transparent glyph?
Hello @matthewmeeple,
If you have not found a way, perhaps I found one … But I didn’t tried it with Indesign.
Only in illustrator, here is my process 
First, yes if you turn a shape, path … in 0% opacity, Fontself can’t use it.
So my alternative is to use a gradient. I tested with a radial one (I guess it will be ok with a linear one as well).
- Your path/shape must have an opacity value above zero BUT change the opacity values of your colours inside the gradient to 0% (check the screenshots).
- I imported two quick shapes I made : L, P with this transparent gradient, and … it worked!
I verified that my imported shapes/paths in fontself kept their points values, so I exported the result as a font… I installed it and used it inside Illustrator…
I just typed PLL in a text field, and the Letter/shapes were there, but transparent as we want!
As a last check, I outlined the letters … and the shapes are transparent and perfect.
Check my screenshots,
I also encounter a lot of interpretation issues from Fontself, using myself very specific gradient options for a letterform that I created during the 36 days of type … but Fontself or the technology, interpret them often badly, so I’m working to find alternatives … which allowed me to propose this one to you.
Here is a screenshot showing the letters inside the textfield outlined in Illustrator (via Object menu : Object>Path>Outline Stroke) as a last verification. Everything is STILL transparent and the forms are STILL there.
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well as a new user, I can’t display several pictures inside the same post. 
I will give a test in separated replies.
Here is a screenshot showing the shapes (with transparency radial gradient).
Here is a screenshot showing the shapes “L”, “P”, imported in Fontself (with transparency radial gradient), exported as a font called Transparent, and used as regular letters in a text field.
