# CGFont A set of character glyphs and layout information for drawing text. ``` class CGFont ``` ## Overview A glyph can represent a single character (such as ‘b’), more than one character (such as the “fi” ligature), or a special character such as a space. Core Graphics retrieves the glyphs for the font from ATS (Apple Type Services) and paints the glyphs based on the relevant parameters of the current graphics state. Core Graphics provides a limited, low-level interface for drawing text. For information on text-drawing functions, see [`CGContext`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGContext). For full Unicode and text-layout support, use the services provided by TextKit). ## Topics ### Creating Font Objects [`init(_:)`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/init(_:)-9aour) Creates a font object from data supplied from a data provider. [`init(_:)`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/init(_:)-1p4b) Creates a font object corresponding to the font specified by a PostScript or full name. [`CGFontCreateWithPlatformFont`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFontCreateWithPlatformFont) Creates a font object from an Apple Type Services (ATS) font. ### Retaining and Releasing a CGFont Object [`CGFontRelease`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFontRelease) Decrements the retain count of a font. [`CGFontRetain`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFontRetain) Increments the retain count of a font. ### Examining Font Metadata [`fullName`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/fullName) Returns the full name associated with a font object. ### Examining Font Metrics [`ascent`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/ascent) Returns the ascent of a font. [`capHeight`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/capHeight) Returns the cap height of a font. [`descent`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/descent) Returns the descent of a font. [`fontBBox`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/fontBBox) Returns the bounding box of a font. [`italicAngle`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/italicAngle) Returns the italic angle of a font. [`leading`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/leading) Returns the leading of a font. [`stemV`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/stemV) Returns the thickness of the dominant vertical stems of glyphs in a font. [`unitsPerEm`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/unitsPerEm) Returns the number of glyph space units per em for the provided font. [`xHeight`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/xHeight) Returns the x-height of a font. ### Working with PostScript Fonts [`postScriptName`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/postScriptName) Obtains the PostScript name of a font. [`canCreatePostScriptSubset(_:)`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/canCreatePostScriptSubset(_:)) Determines whether Core Graphics can create a subset of the font in PostScript format. [`createPostScriptSubset(subsetName:format:glyphs:count:encoding:)`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/createPostScriptSubset(subsetName:format:glyphs:count:encoding:)) Creates a subset of the font in the specified PostScript format. [`CGFontPostScriptFormat`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFontPostScriptFormat) Possible formats for a PostScript font subset. [`createPostScriptEncoding(encoding:)`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/createPostScriptEncoding(encoding:)) Creates a PostScript encoding of a font. ### Working with Font Tables [`tableTags`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/tableTags) Returns an array of tags that correspond to the font tables for a font. [`table(for:)`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/table(for:)) Returns the font table that corresponds to the provided tag. [Font Table Index Values](/documentation/CoreGraphics/font-table-index-values) Possible values for an index into a font table. [Obsolete Font Table Index Values](/documentation/CoreGraphics/obsolete-font-table-index-values) Deprecated values for an index into a font table. ### Working with Variations [`copy(withVariations:)`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/copy(withVariations:)) Creates a copy of a font using a variation specification dictionary. [`variations`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/variations) Returns the variation specification dictionary for a font. [`variationAxes`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/variationAxes) Returns an array of the variation axis dictionaries for a font. [Font Variation Axis Keys](/documentation/CoreGraphics/font-variation-axis-keys) Keys used for a font variation axis dictionary. ### Working with Glyphs [`numberOfGlyphs`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/numberOfGlyphs) Returns the number of glyphs in a font. [`name(for:)`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/name(for:)) Returns the glyph name of the specified glyph in the specified font. [`getGlyphWithGlyphName(name:)`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/getGlyphWithGlyphName(name:)) Returns the glyph for the glyph name associated with the specified font object. [`getGlyphBBoxes(glyphs:count:bboxes:)`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/getGlyphBBoxes(glyphs:count:bboxes:)) Get the bounding box of each glyph in an array. [`getGlyphAdvances(glyphs:count:advances:)`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/getGlyphAdvances(glyphs:count:advances:)) Gets the advance width of each glyph in the provided array. [`CGGlyph`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGGlyph) An index into the internal glyph table of a font. [`kCGGlyphMax`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/kCGGlyphMax) The maximum allowed value of a [`CGGlyph`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGGlyph). [`CGFontIndex`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFontIndex) An index into a font table. [`kCGFontIndexMax`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/kCGFontIndexMax) The maximum allowed value of a [`CGFontIndex`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFontIndex). [`kCGFontIndexInvalid`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/kCGFontIndexInvalid) An invalid font index (a value which never represents a valid glyph). ### Working with Core Foundation Types [`typeID`](/documentation/CoreGraphics/CGFont/typeID) Returns the Core Foundation type identifier for Core Graphics fonts. ## See Also [Quartz 2D Programming Guide](https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/GraphicsImaging/Conceptual/drawingwithquartz2d/Introduction/Introduction.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP30001066) --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)