---
name: "fontimport"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "tetex-bin"
version: "2.0.2-30sarge5"
release: "Debian 3.1 (Sarge)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/fontimport"
---

# fontimport(1)

import fonts into the teTeX directory structure

## NAME

fontimport - import fonts into the teTeX directory structure

## SYNOPSIS

**fontimport \[-d\] \[-f\] \[-s\] \[-t\] \[-m MF-mode\] path ...**

## DESCRIPTION

*fontimport* imports TFM and PK font files into appropriate places in the teTeX directory tree and revises teTeX's filename database accordingly.

Each **path** may be a font file or a directory, either absolute or relative to the current directory.  All subdirectories of a given directory are searched for font files.  Don't specify directory names that are symbolic links, however, since (at least some versions of) [**find**(1)](/find/1.md) won't dereference them.

A font's destination is determined by variables in the file texmf.cnf. By default, *fontimport* will issue a warning to **stderr** instead of overwriting an existing font file.  The *-f* flag forces overwriting.

*fontimport* can cope with font names conforming the 8.3-namescheme, too, so you can import fonts from either a TDS-compliant or MSDOS installation. emTeX's font libraries are not supported. If you want to import fonts from a font library, you need to unpack it with emTeX's fontlib utility first.

The full pathname of each font successfully imported is echoed to stdout. When *fontimport* can not parse a font's name, it will import the font using a path element of "/unknown/" and issue a warning on **stderr.**

*fontimport* tries to guess the mode of PK files.  With the *-m* flag you may specify a fallback mode to be used if the mode can't be guessed.

Options:

-

  - **-m** *MF-MODE*

  default Metafont mode for PK files if autodetection fails

- **-d**

  delete font files after copying (i.e., move them)

- **-f**

  force overwrite existing fonts

- **-s**

  do not use other destinations than the system's main texmf tree

- **-t**

  test mode: just echo each font's destination (if any); don't move or copy

## SEE ALSO

[**allec**(1)](/allec/1.md), [**allneeded**(1)](/allneeded/1.md), [**fontexport**(1)](/fontexport/1.md), **Fontname: Filenames for TeX Fonts (http://tug.org/fontname).**

## AUTHOR

Thomas Esser (te@dbs.uni-hannover.de)