How to make a transparent glyph?

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?

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 :slight_smile:

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! :slight_smile:
    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! :slight_smile:
    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. :slight_smile:

1 Like

@matthewmeeple

well as a new user, I can’t display several pictures inside the same post. :frowning:
I will give a test in separated replies.

Here is a screenshot showing the shapes (with transparency radial gradient).

@matthewmeeple

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.