Ttf2lff

The shift from TTF to LFF did not occur in a vacuum. Three powerful catalysts have rendered the old model obsolete:

Use a hex editor or a tool like lffinfo (part of LFF tools suite) to examine a working LFF from your printer:

lffinfo working_font.lff

This will show resolution, encoding table, and compression type.

LibreCAD, a free Open Source CAD application, utilizes a specific font format (LFF) for rendering text within drawings. While LibreCAD comes with a standard set of fonts, users often require specific TrueType fonts (standard system fonts) to comply with corporate branding or specific drafting standards. ttf2lff

The ttf2lff utility bridges this gap by parsing binary TTF files and converting their vector glyph data into the ASCII-based LFF format. This conversion ensures that text remains scalable and editable within the CAD environment.

The utility is operated via the command line. Standard syntax is as follows:

ttf2lff [options] <input_font.ttf> [output_font.lff]

Common Parameters:

Operational Example:

To convert the standard Arial font for use in LibreCAD:

ttf2lff Arial.ttf Arial.lff

ttf2lff -i cleaned.ttf -o myfont.lff -r 300 -e cp850 -s 10

Rating: ⭐ – Use at your own risk.

To understand the necessity of TTF2LFF, one must first understand LaserFiche’s architecture. LaserFiche (now part of the Hyland Software ecosystem) was developed in an era when document imaging and printing relied on device-specific font rendering. Unlike modern operating systems that seamlessly handle TTF, OTF, and WOFF files, LaserFiche’s core rendering engine—used for viewing, annotating, and printing documents—does not natively read TrueType fonts.

When you scan a document or import a PDF into LaserFiche, the system needs to display text exactly as intended. If you use an unsupported font, LaserFiche substitutes it with a default serif or sans-serif font, causing:

The solution is to convert your .TTF files into .LFF files using the TTF2LFF converter, allowing LaserFiche to render the document accurately. The shift from TTF to LFF did not occur in a vacuum

Will TTF2LFF become obsolete? In an ideal world, yes. But industrial hardware has a half-life of 15–20 years. Many factories still run Windows NT 4.0. Military and aviation systems are even slower to upgrade. As long as LFF printers remain in critical infrastructure, TTF2LFF will remain a vital, niche utility.

The open-source community is slowly improving TTF2LFF: