This programing language was devised by Donald Knuth as counterpart to his T_EX typesetting system. One of a characteristics of METAFONT is that completely of the shapes of the glyphs are defined with mighty geometric equations, e.g., smart shoppers might define the given point to exist as the intersection of the line section & a Bézier cubic.

Unlike further commons outline font formats (such as TrueType or PostScript Type 1), a METAFONT font is primarily manufactured higher of strokes by having finite-width "pens", along using filled regions. So, like than describing a outline of the glyph directly, a METAFONT file describes the pen paths. A few simpler METAFONT fonts, like a calligraphical math fonts in the Computer Modern family, use one pen stroke sustaining the comparatively big pen to define from each one ocular "stroke" of the glyphs. Other complex fonts like a Roman text fonts in the Computer Modern family use a little pen to trace in the area of the outline of the ocular "strokes", which are filled; a effect is lot prefer an outline font, but by owning slightly softened corners defined per pen shape.

Since a font shapes come defined by equations like than directly-coded counts, these are conceivable to deal with parameters like aspect ratio, font slant, stroke breadth, serif size, and so forth when input parameters within both glyph definition. So, by changing a definition of 1 of these parameters at one location in the METAFONT file, one may make a uniform vary throughout the entire font. Computer Modern Roman illustrates many utilizes of this feature; the average T_EX installation includes a number of versions of the font in sizes from 5pt to 17pt, with the stroke widths the same in all sizes (rather than increasing as the font is scaled up) and aspect ratios widening in the smaller sizes for increased legibility. Additionally, a Computer Modern typewriter and sans serif fonts are defined utilizing in essence a equivalent METAFONT file when a Roman font, however sustaining different spherical parameters.

Knuth began act around font creation software package in 1977, and produced a number 1 version of METAFONT inside 1979. Due to defect around the original METAFONT language, Knuth developed an totally fresh METAFONT rules in 1984, and these are this revised technique that is utilized now.

Smart shoppers might apply METAFONT to render any kinda in writing output that you wish, non upright glyphs. Notwithstanding, MetaPost with its PostScript output is preferred for advanced illustrations.

METAFONT is virtually all unremarkably invoked forgoing a directly asking from either the user. DVI files can only contain information to face, such as than a sets of raster or even vector glyphs that more formats like PostScript allow. Consequently the glyphs in the font require to become accessed when the asking is mass produced to watch, print or even convert a DVI file. Virtually all T_E10 distributions come configured and then that any fonts non presently available at a compulsory resolution are generated by calls to METAFONT. A face come so stored for down the road reuse.

METAFONT can as well exist as process interactively, & has commands for displaying on a screen the images it produces. Knuth has said that he utilizes METAFONT as a sort of desk calculator for solving complicated equations, though he currently utilizes MetaPost for mathematical illustrations.

METAFONT has the versioning technique similar thereto of L^AT_EX, where the number asymptotically approaches e with each revision.